West Brom vs Liverpool: Match Thread

[Mattshark]

Emiliano Insua was pushed through too early, if we'd have brought him on better he'd still be here.

He should still be here anyway.

[Mostar]

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Liverpool-s-Kenny-Dalglish-admits-he-needs-wingers-to-assist-Andy-Carroll-with-Aston-Villa-s-Ashley-Young-and-Wolves-Matt-Jarvis-earmarked-article719805.html

Dalglish needs wide boys to attend Carroll service

Kenny Dalglish believes it is vital he signs some wide men this summer to bring the best out of Andy Carroll.

Liverpool’s new £35million England striker Carroll is yet to score in five games since his January switch from Newcastle.

He again fired blanks at West Brom in a shock 2-1 Premier League defeat as the targetman got little service.

Dalglish is eying Aston Villa’s Ashley Young and Wolves wideman Matt Jarvis to boost creativity after also buying forward Luis Suarez in the window.

And the Kop caretaker, set to get the Anfield job full-time, admitted: “That’s something we will analyse.

“Andy is part of our team, so is Luis Suarez so we need to get players who complement them.

“Whatever we need we will go for.”

Defeat at Albion stopped Liverpool’s recent resurgence and left them with an injury crisis as defenders Glen Johnson and Daniel Agger hobbled off.

While Reds skipper Steven Gerrard has suffered a recurrence of his groin injury.

Dalglish added: “It’s disappointing for Steven because he has missed a few games and was training really well and looking forward to being back in among the lads.

“It’s disappointing for the player first and foremost. He’s also a hell of a player.

“Everybody wants to get their strongest team on the pitch but injuries are part and parcel of the game and you just have to get on with it.”

[topscorer]

OptaJoe 4 - If the league had started the day after Roy Hodgson's appointment (11 Feb), WBA would be 4th behind Man Utd, Chelsea & Everton. Boost.



Is this bull or true?

[Zapater]

I was too down after the game to say or even read anything on this. Roy that ****ing smug **** - I can't believe we've given him the satisfaction of scoring one over us, more than anything.

We were pretty diabolical it must be said, but there were enough chances to win this game regardless. That one from the corner where Kuyt banged it against the crossbar was key, after that we went to ****, they started playing better and gained confidence. That Odemwingie is a good player, I remember when he played for Lille in the CL and even though he can work on ones nerves due to his attitude on the pitch, he's a potentially very dangerous player and we seemed powerless to stop him. Not that we should have let him be though. He's much too good for West Brom.

Meireles is okay, but ****ing hell I'm not really sure I want him starting every week and surely not in a midfield trio which contains Spearing and Lucas. I don't have anything against two of the three but overall it just seems like it's lacking a commanding element and someone who can either get their foot on the ball and knock it around or someone who can really get stuck in. If I'm glad that this game proved anything, it's that Spearing isn't good enough. He was good against Sunderland but that's about it, he's one of the few younger players of this generation whom have been given a chance and he's clearly not up to it. Really hope he leaves at the end of the season so he can pursue a career more at his level.

I'm not sure if anyone touched on this, but it could be due to the personal we had at the back, but for me at the majority of the game we didn't look that different to how we were in the Ged days. Hoofing, and lots of it. Just about because we have Carroll I was hoping that we would just use the hopeful long ball as something to vary and change up our play, not as a genuine attacking tactic. I hated it so much and I haven't been chuffed about the signing of Carroll for mostly this season as I thought this could happen. With the likes of Carragher and Skrtel in the team I can't see this changing as long as he plays either. In the first half the ****ty service of balls played up to him coupled with the Baggies players targeting him lead t his frustration which almost and very well could've gotten him sent off. Yes, we have to play to our strengths and Carroll is a tall ****er but I really hope this is not a sign of things to come.

Anyone remember the last time Pepe saved a pen? He had that reputation at Villarreal and a record to go with it, carried it on when he first came, but I can't remember him saving a pen for ****ing ages.

I was thinking this myself on game day. He hasn't saved one in some time. And when he started not saving them too regularly he was often getting a hand to them but couldn't quite stop them. The last season or two he's been nowhere ****ing near them. Not a knock on Reina but it's a bit disappointing because in the past I almost felt like there was around a 50 - 50 of a positive outcome when we gave one away.

Well Soto will probably leave in the summer.

Carra is 34 next season

Agger is forever injured.

Wilson is 19 and unproven.

I don't think we can afford to get rid of Skrtel with all that in mind.

Definitely a worry to me. I was concerned when Carragher was handed a new contract because even though he's been good, I'm not sure if he can add anything more to us, well it's fine as a back up option but the way it's looking we'll be relying on him to start or at very least play a sufficient number of games next season. Maybe he can prove me wrong but on the evidence of this season and last I don't think he has much to offer.

I don't like wholesale changes to be made to a back 4, but because ours is pretty dire due to injuries and lack of good enough back up players, I think that has to be a priority.

[Maxiedge]

I am genuinely depressed from this result. I think this is the worst result we've ever had since I can remember due to circumstances:

- we could have really put the pressure on 4th/5th place
- man for man we are a better team even with injuries
- Roy Hodgson is a **** manager and motivator

The players should hang their head in shame. It's a ****in disgrace that they can't win 2 games on the trot.

[The Birdman]

My view in all this is top 4 is an imposibility and if a player is going to turn us down because we end up 8th instead of 7th then we shouldn't be interested in signing him in the 1st place so our final league position means **** all give or take a few million in prize money.
At this stage of the season I honestly don't see the point in continuing to pick Soto at all, yes Wilson is young, inexperienced and has made mistakes but how is he going to learn being played out of position behind a 30 something defenders who's best days are behind him.
Coady is twice the player Plessis was and he did just fine in his first couple of games for us, he is a boy in a mans body so physically he would cope even better than Spearing.

My view with the talented kids that we have is it would be wrong to play 3-4 of them in every game between now and the end of the season.
But I also think it would be worse if we didn't introduce them into the set up, we have 7 subs on a match day, 1 for the keeper so surely 1 of the other 5 subs could be a Coady, Flanagan, Robinson, Wisdom, Sterling (don't think Suso is there yet) just to give them 10-15 minutes if the scoreline is right.

Playing them too much too soon will ruin them, not giving them opportunities at all is equally as damaging imo.