Martin Skrtel

[McDermotX]

Personally think there's four positions up for genuine upgrades back there.........like most of what I see with Clyne bar the few dodgy games he's had, but the others are replaceable in theory.
Cold hard reality is that we don't have an abundance of obvious target for those, plus our biggest problems are elsewhere right now.

[The Birdman]

Anyone still defending Skrtel?
For the last 3 years or so I've been saying he's a weak link (along with Lucas)

He's too interested in playing and watching the man, can't cope with movement and is so **** scared he's deeper than everyone else.

Goal at Newcastle he's 5 yards too deep, goal vs Watford he's too interested in grappling with Ighalo and for his injury he's watching Deeney not the ball and gets injured.

Hopefully its a bad injury and we can play Lovren and Sahko together as a pair (when fit) and buy a CB in January.

[The Birdman]

Anybody who thinks Skrtel is good enough is clueless.
Since he signed in Jan 08 we've finished (full seasons only) 7th, 6th, 7th and 8th.

In that time not 1 club, anywhere in the world who play at a higher level i.e Champions League have come in for him.

That tells you 2 things -
1. He has been a regular feature in a LFC side that has performed consistently badly for 4 consecutive seasons.
2. If Skrtel had been a stand out performer, someone streets ahead of the rest of his team mates during those 4 years a better club would have bought him and he would have gone like a shot.

He isn't good enough, end of story.
The fact that Rodgers keeps picking him is baffling since he spent 6 months humiliating him (picking a retiring 34 year old ahead of him) and trying to sell him.

December 2013.

[Shaggy]

Anyone still defending Skrtel?
For the last 3 years or so I've been saying he's a weak link (along with Lucas)

He's too interested in playing and watching the man, can't cope with movement and is so **** scared he's deeper than everyone else.

Goal at Newcastle he's 5 yards too deep, goal vs Watford he's too interested in grappling with Ighalo and for his injury he's watching Deeney not the ball and gets injured.

Hopefully its a bad injury and we can play Lovren and Sahko together as a pair (when fit) and buy a CB in January.

Agree with all that. Fuming with him yesterday. When the mistakes he's making are the same ones he's been making for years it is ****ing infuriating. Soft as ****e and in his own bubble half the time. I'd be happy with him in the Kolo role, 4th choice, but he's been the mainstay for years and it's not showing any signs of working as he enters his 32nd year. Sick of him.

[Lecter]

Tbh, no problem with that Ighalo goal, Skrrtel did everything fine up to a point. He knew Deeney would knock it on and there was only Ighalo to pass it too. You don't need to try & play them offside.

He dropped off and he actually got in ahead of Ighalo, forced him wide. His **** up was not kicking it properly when he had a chance to clear it.

He really didnt do everything fine

FFS he didnt even hold the line, thats what he should have done first and foremost

[RichC]

He really didnt do everything fine

FFS he didnt even hold the line, thats what he should have done first and foremost

Basic errors time and again. He's 31 and will never get rid of them

[frank the tank]

Hopefully its a bad injury

Terrible comment mate.

[The Birdman]

Terrible comment mate.

It's not.
He's done his hamstring, in the context of 'bad injury' that's 4-6 weeks or so out.
Long enough to play a different partnership, if it's longer then more chance of buying a CB in January.

[McDermotX]

Tbh, no problem with that Ighalo goal, Skrrtel did everything fine up to a point. He knew Deeney would knock it on and there was only Ighalo to pass it too. You don't need to try & play them offside.

He dropped off and he actually got in ahead of Ighalo, forced him wide. His **** up was not kicking it properly when he had a chance to clear it.

Pathetic effort at swinging for the ball....granted it was a good finish, but he should never have had the opportunity.

He really didnt do everything fine

FFS he didnt even hold the line, thats what he should have done first and foremost

Disagree. You can't hold a line all the time against pace and partnership. You need to respect your opponent and not always depend on a wishy-washy decision going your way. Even Sakho performed the drop off role when Skrtel went off on more than one occassion....... Done it ****ing rubbish of course, but the intention was correct.
Flat lines create their own issues as well.
I'm not happy with Skrtel's ultimate role in the goal, but I've little issue with his starting position.

[Lecter]

The problem with Skrtel is we dont have somebody next to him organising him

He certainly doesnt orgnaise the defence (just look at those photos) you have the rest of the defenders holding 1 line and him going awol

That 2nd goal I have 100% down to Skrtel, firstly for dropping off and secondly for not putting in a decent enough challenge. The daft thing is that after dropping off he does then force the player further out wide which is the right idea but then his challenge is half-hearted

[Lecter]

Pathetic effort at swinging for the ball....granted it was a good finish, but he should never have had the opportunity.



Disagree. You can't hold a line all the time against pace and partnership. You need to respect your opponent and not always depend on a wishy-washy decision going your way. Even Sakho performed the drop off role when Skrtel went off on more than one occassion....... Done it ****ing rubbish of course, but the intention was correct.
Flat lines create their own issues as well.
I'm not happy with Skrtel's ultimate role in the goal, but I've little issue with his starting position.

Sorry thats bollocks

You cant have players dropping off unless they are doing it as a unit or a pairing

There was absolutely no reason to drop off there. It was a flat ball, and Skrtel has the whole field of play in front of him. As soon as Deaney went for that ball he should have stepped up and joined his teammates who were 5-10 yards ahead of him

Its lazy play

[Nicey]

It's not.
He's done his hamstring, in the context of 'bad injury' that's 4-6 weeks or so out.
Long enough to play a different partnership, if it's longer then more chance of buying a CB in January.

No thats a terrible comment ... I would not wish injury in a United player let alone one of our own

[Chris]

Sorry thats bollocks

You cant have players dropping off unless they are doing it as a unit or a pairing

There was absolutely no reason to drop off there. It was a flat ball, and Skrtel has the whole field of play in front of him. As soon as Deaney went for that ball he should have stepped up and joined his teammates who were 5-10 yards ahead of him

Its lazy play

Yep, trying to defend that is laughable. If that was normal we'd see it every week from all the teams, we dont because it's atrocious defending by a player who's frightened to death of opponents.

Not that the defending in this league is any good regardless of what they do, but it was comically bad from him. Again.

[Shaggy]

I just don't see how any Red can really defend him now. I did it for years but even I've given up. We have too many of these discussions...time and time again. He's just not good enough and I don't think it can be any more obvious. He's had lots of managers, lots of team mates, and more often than not it's the same result. Thanks for the loyalty Marty - give him a painting of a Spitfire and let him go.

[danperkins]

Pathetic effort at swinging for the ball....granted it was a good finish, but he should never have had the opportunity.



Disagree. You can't hold a line all the time against pace and partnership. You need to respect your opponent and not always depend on a wishy-washy decision going your way. Even Sakho performed the drop off role when Skrtel went off on more than one occassion....... Done it ****ing rubbish of course, but the intention was correct.
Flat lines create their own issues as well.

I'm not happy with Skrtel's ultimate role in the goal, but I've little issue with his starting position.

yeah absolutely nothing wrong with that starting position, if anything the player is running off the shoulder of Sakho and Skrtel is following him. It was actually decent covering initially but was very poor defending after that.

The still pic vs real time is so different, been looking at the video there and in slow motion, but yeah he did get bullied and should have got the ****ing thing away. Sakho had an absolute shocker today too, rushed back way too soon. The whole backline had a mare, it was ridiculous. It was up there with the worst i've ever seen us play.