New players take time

[Fowler_God]

I have to say first off that i am not a big Pennant fan. He looks like he could be out of his depth, yet we have to balance this out with the fact it does take the majority of players time to settle in and become adapted to a new club.

The problem with our season is that we are asking a lot of players to bed in in postions we have no real cover in.

Pennant on the right, speedy/Aurelio on the left Bellamy/kuyt up front. These are all the match winning postions and cruical to what Rafa wants to do with the team. I.e play with wingers and pace up front.

If you look at the new players the "other 2" have brought in then no-one is really setting the world alight. Carrick at the scum is not playing great yet he has the regulars around him in top form to carry him through until he settles.
Ballack and Shevchenko at Chelsea are playing pretty crap, yet again they have the regulars from last season to carry them through

This season we are playing with maybe 4 new players on the pitch at the same time, yet Gerrard, Xabi, Garcia, hyppia, riise etc are playing poor as well so they are unable to carry these players until they settle in and get used to the tatics, systems, pattern play etc. (Essien at Chelsea is a good example of this, looked pants last year and a waste of money, but this year looks very good in the games i have seen)
I dont think its a coincidence that the defensive side has picked up recently, because the only real problem with that was the poor form of everyone in the back four and not the fact that we had introduced a new player. Yet midfield and up front may take a while longer yet.
When it does click though we will have a couple of pacey wingers and a good hard worker upfront, with someone with pace who can get in behind and score goals.

[Red_Polo]

With the rest of the team playing **** and the fans just waiting to groan at every misplaced pass, the new players must be under absolutely massive amounts of pressure. You can see it in the way they play, Kuyt being the sole exception.

[Parm]

With the rest of the team playing **** and the fans just waiting to groan at every misplaced pass, the new players must be under absolutely massive amounts of pressure. You can see it in the way they play, Kuyt being the sole exception.

some people have such an overreaction to every misplaced pass, wanting us to be 3-0 up after 10mins. That sort of edginess creeps up and affects the players. Everything takes a bit time.

[AFII]

We have the goal difference 1-0 the first 15 minutes of the games so far this season in the league so I can understand if some people want us to score an early goal sometimes.

[Marky]

Fantastic post by Brendan on 6*M's regarding Jermaine Pennant:

I've been bouncing around a few sites today (not all Liverpool-related) and speaking to a few mates and all that, and I'm coming to the unhappy conclusion that Tennants is rapidly becoming one of the most despised Liverpool players I can remember.

As in despised by his own fans.

I think it's pretty obvious that in his short time here he hasn't exactly looked a good player so far, but the vitriol is building up and up and up, culminating in the crwod reaction when he got subbed on Wednesday.

I don't suppose that the MySpace (oh God, I really hope for his sake it's faked) site and the pictures therein don't help. His general demeanour and "colourful" history don't help either.

But let's say the MySpace thing IS a fake.

Well, the photos aren't. Ergo, he's a horrible, embarrassing ****.

Is there any way back from this? Let's say that he starts playing to some where near the level Benitez appears to think was worth £7m? Can he ever be a favourite?

I'd say that if he started playing brilliantly, we will forgive most things, problem is, I think Tennants "optimum" playing level may well be pretty ordinary.

Which leaves him a bit.....****ed.

Who was the last player we had that got Kopites blood boiling like this? Diouf? At least that lad worked his nuts off in every game.

And before that?

I'm struggling.

[paulcooper4]

pennant is ****

[saveferris]

There is a greater expectation with Bellamy and Pennant because they have played in this league in the past and so wouldnt need the acclimitisation.

I agree that Aurelio and Gonzalez should be given more time but expectations have been high this year and we havent lived up to them. Its not just the new players most of the squad have been pretty ordinary.

[Red_Polo]

Fantastic post by Brendan

I'll be honest and say I stopped right there

[Insider]

I'll be honest and say I stopped right there

[bazza76]

With the rest of the team playing **** and the fans just waiting to groan at every misplaced pass, the new players must be under absolutely massive amounts of pressure. You can see it in the way they play, Kuyt being the sole exception.

Correct.
Very hard to settle in these circumstances.
When the likes of Pennant, Aurelio, gonzales, Kuyt and Paletta came in, they were expecting to settle into a team that is high with confidence and challenging at the the top of the table, this is particularly more relavant to the younger new arrivals, instead what they find is a team struggling for form and fluidity on the pitch and with alot of the senior players not performing at their highest level and alot of injuries. ITs always going to be more difficult to settle in them situations, especially at a club with the tradition of Liverpool.

[Red Chilli]

I'll be honest and say I stopped right there

Wish I had, there was nothing fantastic about that post at all.

Is Brendan 'Richard Digence' under an assumed name? He seems to think it's funny and intelligent to change a players name subtly to an insulting related word. Someone really should tell him that it isn't.:whatever: