Moving forward

[PTP]

right - try and put all the ****e to the back of my mind and focus on some positives - i am writing this as honest as possible and trying not to be blinded by 'current form'

In goal - reina - class, no complaints at all - cavaleri is what he is, a back up

right backs - Arbeloa - solid, not a world beater but does his job and as I discussed in the full back thread the other day, you can make do with one of arbeloa/aurelio playing providing the other full back was top class - in this case as aurelio is injury prone I'd prefer arbeloa and finding a top class left back. - back up not seen any of degen, would like to see darby get a chance and always carragher if desperate - so right back could be improved but it's not vital just yet

Centre backs - firstly lets sort out this agger contract situation which is just another black cloud over the club! - then we have Carragher, Skrtel, Agger, Hyypia to choose from for centre back! - as a collective of 4, i wouldn't swap them four for any other four at any team in europe

LB - now aurelio first choice is similar to arbeloa, not a world beater but decent, but as i said i do feel we need at least one top class full back, and due to aurelio injury issues i'd say left back is the first place that an improvement is needed - dossena hasn't settled and insua looks promising and is a good squad back up - but i'd be willing to see either one of or both aurelio/dossena go if we brought in some real quality.

Centre mids
well Alonso Gerrard and Mascherano are all top clas players imo not much room for improvement there - the controversial lucas is a toughy - as a 4th choice centre mid i think he is solid and could cope with him - if he was to be replaced or sold i wouldn't be arsed, providing we brought in another centre mid that would be an improvement on him - but centre mid for me should be able to cope, it's not vital.

Right mid - first real problem area. - Kuyt is a striker thrown out to right mid purely cause he runs his bollocks off, the only other option is yossi, who offers something a bit different to kuyt, but again he is just above average really - both should be squad players and we need some real quality out there. A winger who has pace, can beat a man, get the by line and whip in a good ball. if he could take a free kick and corner then bonus

Left mid - hmm, riera, simliar to full back - he is no world beater, he is just slighty better than average but because we have had so much ****e out on the wings in recent years this guy looks like maradona. Anyway i am happy with reira provided we have some real ****ing quality on the other side. The back up is more worrying though - ryan babel, i am just speechless with him don't know whats happened there, but we need some real quality competition on the left, and rafa either gives babel one last chance to pull his head out his arse, have run up top as a striker and if there is no signs of improvement, well if he was a horse he'd be shot.

Strikers - ok torres is a superstar, he ain't fully fit yet but we can't complain. Keane, whilst i have been more and more frustrated with keane, i don't mind him he is a good player, he does have ability, it hasn't happened for him but as a second or even third choice option i wouldn't mind - the worry is whats after them too - ****ing in noone. We need another option up top, a big strong powerful player who can score goals, someone who could either play on his own, or can strike up a partnership with either keane or torres.

W have some great first teamers

reina

agger/skrtel
carragher

alonso
gerrard
mascherano

torres


so 7 first teamers you can't really complain about


and for arguements sake we have say arbeloa and riera as solid squad players who can do a job

so thats

reina

Arbeloa
Agger/skrtel
Carragher

Alonso
Gerrard
Mascherano
Reira

Torres


(obv i am not worry about formation or tactics here, just looking at personal available)

then we have some solid squad players that we can rotate in and out and some decent young back up worthy of a game now and then

darby
hyypia
aurelio
insua
lucas
kuyt
benayoun
keane
babel


So from there we are missing a top class left back, a top class right winger, and another top striker that offers us something different - who too sign I don't know, but for me they are the main missing pieces - players who can sell include

degen
dossena
lucas - providing we found suitable replacement
babel - as long as we replace with an improved winger to challenge reira
one of kuyt or benayoun - providing we sign top class right mid and have one of them as back up.


which would give us something like (first team in bold, squad players in normal and back up italic)

Reina
cavaleri

Arbeloa
darby
carragher

carragher
for arguements sake Agger
Skrtel
hyypia

TOP CLASS LB????
Aurelio
Insua

Alonso
Gerrard
Mascherano
lucas or suitable other

TOP CLASS RIGH MID???
for arguements sake Kuyt
benayoun

Riera and Someone who can compete

Torres
A TOP STRIKER ???

Keane



I don't know if any of that makes any sense to anyone eles but i feel much better now

[Imy]

The problem with our wide positions is that they all want to go in field, none of them seem to want to beat a man and whip in a cross, this is fine IF the full backs provide adequate pace and width (like they do at Man Utd and kind of at Chelsea and Arsenal). Our fullbacks on the whole neither have the pace or skill to this job (Dossena tries but is found wanting in defence).

So if you have solid fullbacks then you need outstanding wide/creative players, and as PTP has mentioned NONE of them are in this category.

Whats really frustrating is this has been a problem for donkey's years and no matter who we sign nobody seems to be able to do an adequate job, if this ever gets sorted we will be in a better posistion to battle for the league.

[BobTheCharmer]

In my mind it doesn't matter how good the players look on paper or who we actually buy, the number one problem is the manager. He won't change. He'll always tinker no matter what his options.

[Icon]

In my mind it doesn't matter how good the players look on paper or who we actually buy, the number one problem is the manager. He won't change. He'll always tinker no matter what his options.

Is the correct answer

[Manofthebog]

Anyway, can't change the past, Chavs at the weekend, that should focus the mind.

[Matt]

Good post Mike, you must have killed some time in work with that.

Right mid is a definite worry when Kuyt isn't at his best. Yossi is a decent squaddie but he's not a winger - rarely beats his man, when he does he tries to beat him another 3 times and he's unwilling to take a shot on.

[kingfunk]

In my mind it doesn't matter how good the players look on paper or who we actually buy, the number one problem is the manager. He won't change. He'll always tinker no matter what his options.

Spot on 100% we all know we have the squad, the problem lays on the managers doorstep.

[SERVO1]

Spot on 100% we all know we have the squad, the problem lays on the managers doorstep.

Do we??? I don't think we have the squad and haven't all season, i thought we had a chance for the league as everybody else was losing points like never before. Like PTP has pointed out we are weak in the wide areas (full backs and wingers). Our squad doesn't stand up to the Mancs or Chavs but mainly it is the wide areas where both those clubs have better players than us, even Nani & Kalou are arguably better than Yossi, Babel & maybe even Kuyt and those two players are the Mancs & Chavs back up wingers!!

I'm not saying that is our only problem as we have had a few this season in Rafa's unusual team selections, substitutions and comments, Gerrard's court case, Torres' injuries and lack of goals aswell as Robbie Keane playing woefully and his lack of goals too. What i am saying is we don't have a squad that is likely to be able to keep producing results over a full season.

[Baldemort]

Good post mate, but unfortunately as bob has pointed out, it makes no difference as long as rafa is in charge. Last night showed that he hasnt and will not learn from his obvious flaws. I wouldnt trust him with another penny in the market and if we are not playing good attacking football and within a whisker of the league this year, he should go. Moving forward, i would like to see rafa put his hands up and actually see that he is getting it wrong. Moving forward i would like to see the players that we have performing to the best of their potential due to them having a manager who knows how to get the best out of them. Moving forward i would like to see rafa sort out his flaws or leave.

[The Erectile Banana]

In my mind it doesn't matter how good the players look on paper or who we actually buy, the number one problem is the manager. He won't change. He'll always tinker no matter what his options.

Agree completely even if it does make a decent post from PTP rather redundant.

I admire your optimism Mike but I'm afraid I can't share it at the moment.

[Kinell]

I think someone needs Football Manager 09.

[kingfunk]

Do we??? I don't think we have the squad and haven't all season, i thought we had a chance for the league as everybody else was losing points like never before. Like PTP has pointed out we are weak in the wide areas (full backs and wingers). Our squad doesn't stand up to the Mancs or Chavs but mainly it is the wide areas where both those clubs have better players than us, even Nani & Kalou are arguably better than Yossi, Babel & maybe even Kuyt and those two players are the Mancs & Chavs back up wingers!!

I'm not saying that is our only problem as we have had a few this season in Rafa's unusual team selections, substitutions and comments, Gerrard's court case, Torres' injuries and lack of goals aswell as Robbie Keane playing woefully and his lack of goals too. What i am saying is we don't have a squad that is likely to be able to keep producing results over a full season.

Sure we have a far from perfect squad but, What i was trying to say is: we have a squad more than capable of winning against stoke, west ham, wigan... the squad was not the problem in these games, the problem was.
A: Team selection and B:Managers tactics.

I think rafas problem is he keeps under estimating the oppisition and he needs to learn that the games now are just as important as the last four games.

He keeps saying that "its not a problem now, we will fight for the title in may"
He dosent seem to grasp that all the other teams will be picking up points in may too.

Will he ever change?

[PTP]

Good post Mike, you must have killed some time in work with that.

Right mid is a definite worry when Kuyt isn't at his best. Yossi is a decent squaddie but he's not a winger - rarely beats his man, when he does he tries to beat him another 3 times and he's unwilling to take a shot on.

cheers - yeha killed a good half hour or so

[PTP]

ah **** it miserable *******s have dragged me down! - i tried to take my mind of the ****ness I have seen this season

goin to lunch and buying golf monthly!

[-V-]

Our best team is-

..................Reina

Arbeloa.....Carra....Skrtle....Agger (do it)

Gerrard......Alonso...Mascher...Riera

...........Torres......Keane



If we play that team regularly, we would win the league