Glen Johnson

[Craig_H]

Very poor start to the season but i'm not sure that it's as simple as that.

He's exceptionally talented and whilst defending isnt his main strength, he CAN defend when he's concentrating and focused.

Which brings me onto this - i think something's up and whilst i hope i am wrong, i'ma bit concerned that something might crop up in the media. This isnt based on anything other than a hunch - i dont have any 'insider' info here, but to me, he is playing entirely as if something's on his mind and as if he's worried about something.

I hope i'm wrong with this one. I cant think of what else could be wrong. It's not as if he's had a couple of bad games - he's just been constantly dreadful throughout every game - sloppiness, poor decision making, lack of concentration etc.

Hopefully just poor form, but let's just say that if we get through the next couple of months without anything cropping up, i'll be relieved.

[Shaggy]

It looks to me as though his attacking instinct is being curtailed by the manager. Agger's reported comments today, and Roy's history with Roberto Carlos at Inter, only reinforces it for me. I'm not sure he's big on his full-backs rampaging forward. Johnson looks inhibited.

[CJ]

he has talent and that becomes evident with the philosiphy that you get your width from attacking full backs.

howver you need to have a team set up so that weaknesses which all players have are compensated by others strenghts

i dont think he is a crap player his is playing crap for us

it could be true but too many of our players are not performing and they cant all have something going on can they

they are footballers so it wouldnt be out of the ordinary i suppose.

[ronanm]

He's not a great defender - simple as that. We have been under the cosh in most games this season and his inability to defend is being further exposed.

[Chrono]

It looks to me as though his attacking instinct is being curtailed by the manager. Agger's reported comments today, and Roy's history with Roberto Carlos at Inter, only reinforces it for me. I'm not sure he's big on his full-backs rampaging forward. Johnson looks inhibited.

Really not a fan of Roy are you

It's certainly not anything to do with Roy that he is misplacing passes, not making an effort to get at the ball and generally being the worst player on the pitch game after game at the moment. I have no idea what has happened here but he is a total mess and hope he sorts it out quick smart.

[Shaggy]

Just an observation - I don't think he's big on his full-backs getting too far forward, and IMO it has a negative effect on Johnson's game and negates his biggest asset.

[DannyMan2006]

It looks to me as though his attacking instinct is being curtailed by the manager. Agger's reported comments today, and Roy's history with Roberto Carlos at Inter, only reinforces it for me. I'm not sure he's big on his full-backs rampaging forward. Johnson looks inhibited.

I think as defenders the first thing they should be able to do is defend. We are leaking goals this season and the first thing I would do is ask my defence to go back to basics and stay solid.

Once my midfield was bedded in and knew what they were doing I would then allow a bit more freedom from the back. What we can't have is the defence bombing forward without due care and attention.

In fairness today I think his performance today was mirrored by Evra in that neither got forward to great effect but had steady games at the back. I think both were wary of the other.

[Shaggy]

Also...his form for us has been garbage, yet he went away with England - with the licence that Capello gives him to get forward - and he played well. Comes back to us....****e. Maybe it's just a coincidence but I don't think so.

[Craig_H]

It looks to me as though his attacking instinct is being curtailed by the manager. Agger's reported comments today, and Roy's history with Roberto Carlos at Inter, only reinforces it for me. I'm not sure he's big on his full-backs rampaging forward. Johnson looks inhibited.

I'm not talking specifically about his forward runs - i just mean his all round play. Very careless, lacking in concentration and not enjoying his football at all. He looks like he's playing with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

[DannyMan2006]

Whilst Hodgson deserves more credence from these players he also faces a dilemma about how far he should go to gain their loyalty. His detractors will point to lack of experience with star players. At Fulham he restored the fortunes of older players such as Murphy and Davis and transformed players such as Zamora and Pantsil whose confidence had been eroded. Even the conventional 4-4-2 system he deployed there embodied this team spirit in which no one player was king. They were well drilled and organised as each player knew his position in the team.

For Hodgson the situation he has inherited is not without precedence. During his first spell at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium with Inter his task was to rebuild the prospects of this Italian giant. After poor recent form, consolidation was the watchword of his first season. For the next campaign it was progression as the blue and blacks finished third in the league and reached the final of the 1997 Uefa Cup. A lack of star names was apparent during his time there and the Inter curva never forgave Hodgson for selling a young Roberto Carlos after just 34 games for the club. He will need to manage the players who have attracted much of this summer’s transfer speculation with care but the sooner the players realise that they now have a manager with the wherewithal and nouse for the job the better for them and Liverpool FC.

[CJ]

I'm not talking specifically about his forward runs - i just mean his all round play. Very careless, lacking in concentration and not enjoying his football at all. He looks like he's playing with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

he is not the only one is he?

however if you cant play to your strenghts and also this exposes your weaknesses then this does effect you

the same with Torres no service so he looks awful on the pitch.

you may be looking too deeply. however with footballers you can never discount playing away i suppose.

for me as i have said in a few threads there is deeply something wrong at the club that seems to effecting players managers etc etc.

thats the real problem.

[DannyMan2006]

That was from an article wrote in the early stages of him joining us.

In my mind he seems a coach from the same kind of tracks as Rafa. More interested in the team than giving license to individual players. I think a method such as that is fine, but individual players are capable of brilliance and sometimes I think they have to be allowed freedom to work something.

[Shaggy]

Whilst Hodgson deserves more credence from these players he also faces a dilemma about how far he should go to gain their loyalty. His detractors will point to lack of experience with star players. At Fulham he restored the fortunes of older players such as Murphy and Davis and transformed players such as Zamora and Pantsil whose confidence had been eroded. Even the conventional 4-4-2 system he deployed there embodied this team spirit in which no one player was king. They were well drilled and organised as each player knew his position in the team.

For Hodgson the situation he has inherited is not without precedence. During his first spell at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium with Inter his task was to rebuild the prospects of this Italian giant. After poor recent form, consolidation was the watchword of his first season. For the next campaign it was progression as the blue and blacks finished third in the league and reached the final of the 1997 Uefa Cup. A lack of star names was apparent during his time there and the Inter curva never forgave Hodgson for selling a young Roberto Carlos after just 34 games for the club. He will need to manage the players who have attracted much of this summer’s transfer speculation with care but the sooner the players realise that they now have a manager with the wherewithal and nouse for the job the better for them and Liverpool FC.

Roberto Carlos: “My problem at Inter was Hodgson, Roy Hodgson. He wanted me to play as a forward when I’m a defender – I prefer to have space ahead of me to run into rather than be a winger already up there; for me it’s better to have 80 metres to play in than 20. I didn’t like the system or where Hodgson wanted me to play in it. He wanted me further up the pitch, sure, but stopped, still, rigid. The Copa America was coming up and I was playing at left-back for Brazil, so I wanted to play there for Inter too. I had to leave because I didn’t want to jeopardise my chances with the national team. If I couldn’t play the way I do I wouldn’t be able to play for Brazil. I spoke to Massimo Morratti [the Inter president] to see if he could sort things out and it soon became clear that the only solution was to leave.”

Hodgson when asked about this said: ''Pistone, better than Roberto Carlos'' [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hKvNoqgDX0"]YouTube - Maurizio Mosca cazzìa Roy Hodgson in diretta![/ame]

[Shaggy]

however if you cant play to your strenghts and also this exposes your weaknesses then this does effect you

[DannyMan2006]

for me as i have said in a few threads there is deeply something wrong at the club that seems to effecting players managers etc etc.

thats the real problem.

I think for better or for worse once the ownership situation is sorted things will sort themselves out. Clearly some of our players only delayed their exits this summer as they were willing to give the board time to put us back where we belong.

If we get new owners who will take us forward then of course everyone is happy and we can go about building a strong team that can challenge for the top prizes again.

If we are stuck with Hicks then people will leave in the summer and we can go about getting players who will be happy to be here in the situation we will find ourselves in.

I think in Hodgson we have a manager who can work with average players and get them performing above their level. If the worst comes to the worst we'll be fine.

If we get new owners then they have the opportunity to give Roy a chance or get their own man in. It's not all doom and gloom.