SOCCER SPORT !

[Steppy]

A win, albeit a sloppy and lucky one. We're still in the fight, but we need West Brom to come up big today.

I still want Rodgers out.

Did your USA broadcast show the plane banner that was flown over Anfield during the game?


It read " Rodgers Out, Rafa In "

There are rumours however that Man Utd fans may be behind the stunt.

[Steppy]

[Raza]

Did your USA broadcast show the plane banner that was flown over Anfield during the game?


It read " Rodgers Out, Rafa In "

There are rumours however that Man Utd fans may be behind the stunt.

They talked about it, but if they showed it, it was during the pregame, which I missed.

I want new blood. I want Klopp. Rafa is a fine manager, but Klopp is hungry, young, and seems to like a challenge. I say bring him in as soon as possible, and let's sort out the side.

Gone:
Steven Gerrard. Sad end to an era, but the weight of failure was clearly too much for him, especially as he felt it was his fault for the slip, when in reality, it was a season with a complete lack of defense, so pointing at any single moment is ridiculous. But football fans are cruel, so it's hard to get away from it. He also refuses to accept his age and a more Lampard-like role, which could have extended his English career another 2-4 years.

Must go:
Dejan Lovren. This was our guy. Not our guy, actually. Brendan's guy. A big money signing, a big money failure. If Rodgers stays, the Lovren experiment will continue, as Rodgers has shown he's too stubborn to make quick decisions when it comes to personnel. Fact is, for whatever reason, Lovren just can't hack it as a Red. Period. His every defensive contribution is a heart-in-mouth moment and he goes to ground way too quickly, often poorly, he fancies himself a stormer, so he's caught out of position often, and his ability to clear aerial balls is so poor, they've led to many goals this season. He can't connect with a ball that's not on the ground--not with his head, not with his feet. In the first half of the season, he had a habit of heading the ball weakly to the center of the final third, letting opposing players get on the ball in a very advantageous position. We lost Daniel Agger, our vice captain, for this?

Glen Johnson. Better late than never, I guess. A fullback who doesn't want to play defense and isn't good enough at offense. Bye bye, time for the 2 to go to someone who deserves it.

Jose Enrique. Similar situation, but plagued with injuries. Sorry, but it's time for you to go.

Joe Allen. Flashes of quality, but overall a very average player. Look around at who is an average player on teams like City and Chelsea. Milner? Nasri? Cuadrado? Fernando? He'd fit in fine in a midtable team, but if you want to challenge for CL spots, let alone the title, there's no room on the payroll for Joe Allen. I wish him success at wherever he ends up, but I hope it's not in Liverpool. Head back to Swansea, or maybe Newcastle or Villa.

Brendan Rodgers. Why? Just look at the latest major failing. He brings in three strikers in his tenure and doesn't have the confidence to play any of them when his star is hurt. He had a chance to buy a striker, someone who could be effective, even if not a regular first team player, in the winter transfer window, and didn't spend a single shilling. There was talk of dropping £25m on Saido Berahino. Lots of talk of Danny "Midtable, please" Ings. Lots of talk of Fabian Delph. All players that don't belong at a top club. Berahino maybe in a few years, but he's no striking solution. Delph is another Joe Allen. I'd rather have Shane Long than Danny Ings. And what did he do over the winter? NOTHING. He didn't even sign Danny "Free Transfer, You Get What You Pay For" Ings for the next season. He didn't bring in striking backup. Instead he decided to put his money on wishes and luck, hoping that Sturridge would come back, 100% fit and sharp, not get injured again, and score 50 goals. Oh yeah, let's play Sterling as a striker, so we can watch him miss sitters like he was Chris Wondolowski in the World Cup. He could have brought in Eto'o and that would have been a viable option off the bench or occasionally starting. And I'm still not sure what happened with the Loic Remy medical, because he passed at Chelsea.


Could go:
Mario Balotelli. This pains me so much to say it, because he plays with fire and there is quality in those boots. But he's not showing it, the system doesn't fit him, and when he does get a start, you only see flashes of the motivation, and then whatever good he does is quickly undone by his laziness. It's a shame, shame, shame. I like him. I wanted Liverpool to be a place where he could come, flourish, and really get his head on right and be successful at a club for a long time. But for as much talk about how Liverpool was his last chance at a top club, he didn't do enough to take it.

Kolo Toure. Another one it would hurt to see go. I'm a big fan of his. He's an old school defender, which is out of fashion in this new "I want every defender to be a striker too" era we have where David Luiz is worth £50m and Lovren is worth £20+m, but damn effective. He's got much more confidence on the ball, his clearances are great, and he reads the game well as a defender. But, he is older now, and will only ever be a bit player for Liverpool. He could go to Turkey or China or MLS and play for another 5 years.

Lucas Leiva. Another player I like, and a quality player as well. A pure defensive mid, real back cover if you want to go to a 4-4-2 diamond again (which I think we should). But despite being a top 5 player on player rating for Liverpool this season, Rodgers has a history of underappreciating his contributions. He's also getting a bit up there and I don't think his injury problems are going to get any better. If they can keep him in a backup or secondary role, that would be ideal, but if he won't take that, it's time for him to go somewhere he can play and do his job well and consistently.

Fabio Borini. Another one that hurts, because I'm a big fan. He's the most logical front man in the team right now and he's not being given the chance. I want him to succeed, even if it's not at Liverpool.

Raheem Sterling. Sit him down. Show him the lowlight reel of every mistake he's made this season. Every time he tried something stupid and it failed. Every sitter he missed. Every finish he botched. Every attempted cross he stuffed into a defender's legs. And after that, ask him if he still thinks he's worth £150,000 a week. If he says no and signs his contract, then I'm happy to have him. If he says yes, then he can go sit on Real's bench for £40-60m.

Absolutely must stay:
Coutinho. Simply put, the best damn player we have had all season on the cusp of becoming truly world class. To lose him would be another Suarez level loss.

Jordan Henderson. The lifeblood of our team now. His importance was clear in the crumble during his suspension last season. Most of the time when the team doesn't play well, it's because Henderson was marginalized. He's our metronome. We need him. Thank goodness he signed a new contract.

Martin Skrtel. Since losing Agger, he's been our shining light in defense.

Mamadou Sakho. A young defender, he's growing in stature with every appearance. He could retire a Red, I think he has a lot of potential.



Who do we bring in? (Mind you these are all just possibilities)
Defensive Midfielder:
Morgan Schneiderlin. Despite our lackluster track record with Southampton players, I think Lallana has the potential to become a driving force on the team if he can stay healthy. I think Schneiderlin can be the pivot we need in midfield when Lucas is injured or rested or gone.

Alex Song. A bit of a temper, but he could be a big boon to our midfield, the way Schneiderlin could.

Fernandinho. I mean, just watch him. If you want someone who can stay back reliably and let Henderson bomb forward, he could easily be the guy.

Sami Khedira is on a free....

Centerbacks (two)
Hummels, Varane, Laporte, Sokratis, Otamendi, Cahill. Go beg Brondby for Agger back. Pick two, bring them here, tell them to stop players from scoring, sign their checks.

Midfielders (depends on who leaves)
Reus, Gundogan, Pjanic, Schurrle, Jay Rodriguez, Isco, and so on and so forth. I would have said even Adam Johnson a week or two ago, but he's probably going to be in jail for a while now.

Strikers (two)
Javier Hernandez. Pedro, Olivier Giroud, Eto'o, Jovetic. Even Charlie Austin (who doesn't look all that special, but you can't argue with the numbers, and he'll undoubtedly be sold).


We have plenty of players for the future. What we need are some for right now.

I realize a lot of those names for who to bring in are pipe dreams. But they're just examples. I think we could seriously get Song and Chicharito, though, maybe even Fernandinho since City will be sure to bring their average age down next year; they're getting old. Reus is a distinct possibility if we get Klopp.

Man that was longer than I expected it to be. Thanks for reading and suffering through..

[Raza]

West Brom won! 1-0 over Manchester United! United shut out and losing three matches in a row!

Van Persie even had his penalty saved. What a strange day in the Prem. Four matches with red cards, a total of five, and two saved penalties. And not a single draw.

[scottjc]

West Brom won! 1-0 over Manchester United!.

Boing boing! We really needed the 3 points with Villa winning today.

[93EXCivic]

Newcastle's in and outs are pretty easy.

Out- everyone except Perez, Colback, Sissoko and Janmaat.

But especially that fat ****ing bastard who runs this club. He shouldn't even be allowed to walk into St James Park.

I half hope we get relegated so maybe he decides to sell the club.

Why couldn't he have bought someone like ****ing Sunderland? The fat ****ing cockney ****.

I just want some one to someone to show some motivation beyond staying in the Premier League. An occasional attempt at an FA Cup or even Capital One Cup would be great.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Raza]

And Chelsea are champions. As disgusting as it is to see it, it gives Liverpool a chance, since Chelsea will likely still be hungover and/or resting players.

[Raza]

Newcastle's in and outs are pretty easy.

Out- everyone except Perez, Colback, Sissoko and Janmaat.

But especially that fat ****ing bastard who runs this club. He shouldn't even be allowed to walk into St James Park.

I half hope we get relegated so maybe he decides to sell the club.

Why couldn't he have bought someone like ****ing Sunderland? The fat ****ing cockney ****.

I just want some one to someone to show some motivation beyond staying in the Premier League. An occasional attempt at an FA Cup or even Capital One Cup would be great.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah, I've noticed Newcastle fans aren't too fond of that guy. But how do you really feel about him? Don't pull any punches this time.

[Raza]

Boing boing! We really needed the 3 points with Villa winning today.

I didn't know you were a West Brom fan. Good win; needed some luck in the offense, but great solidity at the back.

[scottjc]

I didn't know you were a West Brom fan. Good win; needed some luck in the offense, but great solidity at the back.

Yeah, man and boy. Pulis is helping us to tighten the defence up, we just need a couple of decent goalscorers.