Friday 25 September 2015

Bad Timing Stevie

I love Steven Gerrard, he has been the best thing to happen to Liverpool football club for decades at least since 1977 and I must admit that he has done enough in his time at Liverpool to have earned the right to say what he wants but with all this publicity around his latest book I find myself wishing he wouldn't.
It's the wrong time from the clubs point of view to be releasing a book, there is far to much negativity around , things are not going well on or off the field, we can't put together a string of results and things are certainly not all pulling in the same direction off the field, the manager is under real threat, pressure from all angles, yet Gerrard chooses now to release the book, OK, he may have had no choice these things are planned in advance but we have had these problems for months now I'm just saying it could have come at a better time for the clubs point of view, however, from the publishers point of view, now, with all the turmoil at the club could perhaps be the bigger money making opportunity, I would expect our former Captain to put the club before a few extra quid.
I don't see why Gerrard has done this book at all, especially now.  He doesn't need the money I'm sure, he has done two books already surely a few more years is the correct time for another book when his playing career is over.  Things at Liverpool are to fresh, comments, stories and gossip can only hurt the club and despite our constant need for this type of gossip it can only cause more negativity amongst the fan base.
The press find enough reasons to slag Liverpool, our manager, our players and us the supporters without somebody of the standing Gerrard giving them the bullets to fire.  Gerrard has expressed a desire to one day return to the club and I'm more than happy with this idea, but he needs to keep the club at the centre of everything not hang us out to dry for a few bits of gossip in the Daily Mail and for a few quid from a book that will, let's face it, be only read by Liverpool Fans and journalists.

@lfclumo  

Monday 21 September 2015

Rodgers -Time To Go

I've been pro Rodgers, incredibly so, when he first signed a I thought he as a good appointment, through his first season I wanted to give him time, I was to put up with some of the embarrassing comments, if I'm honest I quite liked them, it kept us in the news and in general he was positive. Through the Suarez era I gave Rodgers credit for developing the team, after all finishing second in the league couldn't be down to just one exceptional player.  That summer I remember some of the papers just starting to hint that Rodgers himself may have got the attention of some of The biggest clubs in Europe and I didn't want him to leave, I was gutted at just the thought.  I like the majority of his signings, still do, I also liked the players who we didn't get, at least we tried or were linked to some of the better players around.  Even last season despite starting to get frustrated I was still prepared to give him a chance, the question is now, has he used that chance up.
In my opinion that chance had gone at the end of last season, we threw away a cup semi against Villa and then gave up on the season, culminating in an embarrassing run of results that itself culminated in that humiliating afternoon in Stoke, a day no Liverpool supporter can forget no matter how much we try.  I wanted him to go over the summer but he didn't and then this season started and ŵe found ourselves making the same old mistakes, no improvement, no change apart from our club appears to have declined even further as we face yet another season in transition.
The biggest crime in my eyes is Rodgers refusal to change, learn or adapt, we are playing formations that simply don't work for us, I don't know why they don't work, I suspect it's a combination between the players don't suite the particular formation and the manager doesn't really understand them, but whatever the reason they work on occasion for other clubs but not for us, not at the moment, not with these players, we need two strikers it seems obvious but Rodgers will hardly ever change.  Every time we play two up we seem to be more exciting, more fluent, more creative, score more goals and get better results but then despite this we almost always switch back to one up and create less (usually nothing) play less creatively, quickly lose confidence, start to panic at the back and quickly start to concede goals, stop scoring and inevitably start to lose games.  Everybody would then revert to the more positive approach, there is nothing wrong with trying something, it didn't work so go back to then method that works, not Rodgers we play the same formation that doesn't work, or a variation of it for over a year, dropping points and loosing confidence as we go.  Through the summer we buy players, more players who suite a formation with to up, we are all excited up to the point the games start and we are unbelievably still trying the same flawed formation and tactics.
Rodgers again show stubbornness over individual players, Lovren as bought by Rodgers and at the time I didn't think he was a bad signing, but since he has been playing he has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is not good enough for Liverpool with weekly performances that are at time laughable and individual errors that have cost us points almost on a weekly basis yet all the time we have Sakho sitting on the bench, definitely the best defender at the club and one of the best in the country, but week after week Lovren is preferred.  He should have been moved on not entrusted as our starting centre half, yes we paid a lot of money, just admit we got it wrong and move on.
Rodgers third mistake is to continuously play players out of position normally in an attempt to force everybody into his flawed formation but he has destroyed the confidence of some excellent young players Moreno, Markovic, Can, Sterling, Ibe, Milner and Henderson are all first team players who have regularly been played out of position so much that it has effected their confidence, badly, again costing the team points.
I don't know what goes on behind closed doors but almost everybody who does mentions how badly Rodgers handles some players, again in my opinion destroying confidence and costing the team.
It has now got to the point where, in my opinion, it has gone to far, even if he can turn things around we will always be waiting for the next change of formation the players will never getback that confidence whilst playing under him the damage has been done and it s nobodies fault but Rodgers, he has failed to learn, adapt or change and it has cost us, big time, we have m to dropped to become a mid table club and Rodgers appears happy with this, it's time for a change, we need somebody who will allow our squad to play or even help them to perform rather than appearing to hinder them.
@lfclumo