Utrecht post matzzzzzzzzzz

[The_weatherman]

Oh how quickly we forget...

Unbeaten in Europe, ok by me. League 6 points in 6 games - 2 defeats, not good enough i agree as I do with the Agger point but we are bedding in new tactics, new players etc. plus remind me how many defeats we had by the same number of games last season?

You know it may just take a scrappy win one week, maybe even this weekend, and all of a sudden we will go on a run but then maybe we won't, a bit like last season, you know when we kept going through bad spells last season and thinking one win etc etc and we never really came out of it.

I just want the guy to be given a bit of time personally before we start the calls for his head (I know, a bit late for that).

If it's taking so long bedding in his rather simple tactics, why didn't he just stick with the previous tactics whith Gerrard as an AM and try to play football.

Besides I don't buy this bedding in period. Rafa has been in charge if Inter for similar period but they are doing fine, changing to more aggressive tactics too.

Roy is asking the team to play four four f*****g two, without doing pressure and using no width - this is probably the most basic football tactic ever, seasoned players won't be taking weeks to catch up.

Then there is the expectations, what exactly are his? Is he gunning for fourth or 10th, he sounds like it's the latter but what's wrong with Liverpool supporters hoping for fourth?

[The Birdman]

As many others have said it's not the results or even the performances (which have been the worst in my 25 years as a fan) but the tactics emplyed by Hodgson that I just can't understand.
No pressure on the ball, no width, no possession can only equal no chances created and generally no points.

I am utterly astonished at how tactically naive and out of his depth Hodgson is. I never thought I would say this but if there was a chink of hope that he would be sacked if we lost to Blackpool at the weekend I would be all for it.

Then again maybe Roy is a tactical genius by employing the tactics, formation and style of play not used by any other top team in world football, maybe he knows something everyone else doesn't

[Fredo]

Do you still see Poulsen pinging the ball around Birdman?

[Mattshark]

Oh how quickly we forget...

Unbeaten in Europe, ok by me. League 6 points in 6 games - 2 defeats, not good enough i agree as I do with the Agger point but we are bedding in new tactics, new players etc. plus remind me how many defeats we had by the same number of games last season?

You know it may just take a scrappy win one week, maybe even this weekend, and all of a sudden we will go on a run but then maybe we won't, a bit like last season, you know when we kept going through bad spells last season and thinking one win etc etc and we never really came out of it.

I just want the guy to be given a bit of time personally before we start the calls for his head (I know, a bit late for that).

But those new tactics are truely terrible and quite frankly outdated and small time.

[Bender]

Roy Hodgson has explained why he plays Raul Meireles on the right side of midfield.
Meireles is a centre midfielder for Portugal and was a centre midfielder for Porto before the Reds signed him so it was puzzling to see him pushed out right for Liverpool's last couple of games. Hodgson has explained the reasoning behind his decision.

"We don't play with wingers. The way he plays and the way Joe Cole plays, we think (playing wide midfield) is more than suited to their qualities," said the boss.

"We saw evidence of that in the game because they often got into situations where they received and turned with the ball - especially in the first half. I think we can get some use from Raul Meireles there with his passing ability."

[DannyMan2006]

Roy Hodgson has explained why he plays Raul Meireles on the right side of midfield.
Meireles is a centre midfielder for Portugal and was a centre midfielder for Porto before the Reds signed him so it was puzzling to see him pushed out right for Liverpool's last couple of games. Hodgson has explained the reasoning behind his decision.

"We don't play with wingers. The way he plays and the way Joe Cole plays, we think (playing wide midfield) is more than suited to their qualities," said the boss.

"We saw evidence of that in the game because they often got into situations where they received and turned with the ball - especially in the first half. I think we can get some use from Raul Meireles there with his passing ability."

Me personally, if I was to be thinking of buying a Right midfielder, Raul Meireles would probably not cross my mind..........

Lucas and Mascherano in the CM was bad enough last year, Lucas and Poulsen is even worse. I shudder to think what will happen if Stevie gets injured.

[SimonNo7]

We did better in the league from this point last year. Despite that point, we aren't looking to come 7th this year. We want 4th place.

Indeed we did, I think we had significantly more points by the 7th game that we can have after the game against Blackpool but then I do not think we had played Arsenal, Man City and Man Utd by then either. The thing is, if you look at like for like games from last season we are 2 points down which isn't good enough but we can hopefully push on if we can raise confidence. To me we are just continuing where we left off last season, it wasn't a happy camp then either but that seems to get glossed over a bit as if 7th was ok because Roy wasn't the manager then and yes we want 4th place this year. 7th won't be good enough, just like it wasn't last year!

[SimonNo7]

If it's taking so long bedding in his rather simple tactics, why didn't he just stick with the previous tactics whith Gerrard as an AM and try to play football.

Besides I don't buy this bedding in period. Rafa has been in charge if Inter for similar period but they are doing fine, changing to more aggressive tactics too.

Roy is asking the team to play four four f*****g two, without doing pressure and using no width - this is probably the most basic football tactic ever, seasoned players won't be taking weeks to catch up.

Then there is the expectations, what exactly are his? Is he gunning for fourth or 10th, he sounds like it's the latter but what's wrong with Liverpool supporters hoping for fourth?

But they are a team that has just one everything, are full of confidence, aren't going through the **** off the field that we are. Completely different scenario. Had we been as successful as Inter on the pitch with no crap off it, we wouldn't even be having this discussion.

[SimonNo7]

But those new tactics are truely terrible and quite frankly outdated and small time.

But what if those tactics throughout the season get us to 4th or just do better than last season?

[Leyton388]

Just **** off Roy please before to bury us into a relegation battle. How ****ing dumb is he? We are crying out for width!

[Ben_Itez]

I reckon this is going to be Roy's team:

Pepe

Johnson
Carra
Skrtel
Konchesky

Poulsen (DM)
Gerrard (DM

Meireles (RM) cutting in
Cole (LM) cutting in

Kuyt (support striker)
Torres



Grim. There's so much wrong with this team it's untrue. Three of our more effective players are being played in roles, if not unfamiliar, that i would argue aren't their best positions - Agger (LB or bench), Gerrard (CM) where he cannot link with Torres as effectively as he has in recent years and Kuyt being deployed away from RW.

No width at all, bar Johnson who doesnt seem to reach the byline as frequently. Torres hopelessly isolated and defending so deep we just invite pressure and are in no position to counter quickly. No pressing whatsoever in the oppositions half giving them confidence to knock the ball around (see West Brom and Sunderland)....we created a lot of chances under Rafa by pressing and winning the ball back high up the pitch.

Man marking has been a disaster.

Also Konchesky and Poulsen are two of the dullest, uninspiring signings in recent memory - in short they're rubbish.

Surely it should be more like this with a bit of tweaking depending on the standard of the opposition:

Reina

Johnson
Carra
Agger
Aurelio

Lucas
Meireles

Kuyt
Gerrard
Cole

Torres

If feeling a little more adventurous he could drop Gerrard into midfield, Cole in the hole or A.N Other and Babel, Jova or Pacheco on the left. Not a ****ing hope in hell of that happening though.

[Will]

Just **** off Roy please before to bury us into a relegation battle. How ****ing dumb is he? We are crying out for width!

Could well say we where crying out for width under Rafa. Where you calling Rafa a dumb **** then? As for the relegation battle ****s sake relax will you. If Gerrard and Torres cant get us out a relegation battle then they really are **** no? or is it all Hodgson's fault?

[Leyton388]

Could well say we where crying out for width under Rafa. Where you calling Rafa a dumb **** then? As for the relegation battle ****s sake relax will you. If Gerrard and Torres cant get us out a relegation battle then they really are **** no? or is it all Hodgson's fault?

Difference is under rafa our team was organised and hard to beat. Even when we lost at least we put up fight and were not dominated. Also for the record i was critical of Rafa not giving us width.

The fact that Roy's team has no organisation or structure and are struggling to put in any consistent attacking play is a joke. If it carries on like this i wouldn't be surprised to see us dragged into a dog fight at the bottom come the second half of the season.

[SimonNo7]

Difference is under rafa our team was organised and hard to beat. Even when we lost at least we put up fight and were not dominated. Also for the record i was critical of Rafa not giving us width.

The fact that Roy's team has no organisation or structure and are struggling to put in any consistent attacking play is a joke. If it carries on like this i wouldn't be surprised to see us dragged into a dog fight at the bottom come the second half of the season.

Just humour me for a moment, how would you feel if at the end of the season, and Roy is still with us, and we finish in 6th, 5th or 4th, how would you feel then?

[Leyton388]

Just humour me for a moment, how would you feel if at the end of the season, and Roy is still with us, and we finish in 6th, 5th or 4th, how would you feel then?

I would like nothing more than for that to happen and me be proved wrong but all the signs are there that we will struggle. The way we are playing under Roy i have no confidence going into any game that we can get a result. We are being out muscled by teams and our attacking play is almost zero.