ECHO Comment: "Fears of Witch-hunt Against Liverpool FC"

[hullefc]

The 34-year-old added that Rodgers’ side believe that they can go one better than their 2013-14 second-place finish and win their first league title in 24 years. “With 10, 12 games to go, people were maybe expecting us to drop away a lot sooner than we did. But we handled the pressure superbly well and we played some unbelievable football.

Liverpool 0 v Chelsea 2. Only needed a draw. But bottled it with the slip under pressure.

Crystal Palace 0 v Liverpool 3, 10 minutes to go. Crystal Palace 3 v Liverpool 3. Bottled it under pressure.

If that is 'handling the pressure superbly well', then he has a screw loose. But then again, he did say they would go one better this season and win the prem. Where's that psychologist Steve Peters with the white coat for loopy tunes Stevie me?

 

[hullefc]

Rodgers would rather eat his own left arm than drop Stevie G Laa, he hasn't got the bottle to do it........

Steven Gerrard won't start half of Liverpool games as Brendan Rodgers aims to keep captain at his best by Joe Bernstein 10 July 2014 12:40
Read more at: http://www.sport.net/steven-gerrard...ndan-rodgers-aims-to-keep-captain-at-his-best.

Rodgers did say this when Stevie me was out of the country and on holiday. But he has been put in his place by slippy Steve,

England’s first round exit in Brazil was quickly followed by Gerrard’s international retirement and he revealed that Liverpool commitments played a major part in his decision. “To be fair to Brendan [Rodgers], when I had the chat with him, he said that if you want to carry on for England, I can tailor your Liverpool games,” he said.

“When he said that, it made me go 100% with my decision because I don’t want my Liverpool games to be tailored. I still want to be available, I want to be fresh and play at a high level for Liverpool for certainly one more season.”

 

[Stoic Ape]

Just drop this here

 

[Jacob]

You wonder how many mistakes or poor games Gerrard would need before Liverpool fans would look to start questioning his place in the team. I think most fans give long time servants too much time, like Giggs last season for Man U, Seaman toward the end at Arsenal, Lampard last year for Chelsea, even Cahill toward the end for us in some quarters. I understand why and it irks me the other way when fans start booing their club legends because they're past it, that's never right and that's why strong, proactive management is required to pre-empt those situations. But I think, given the nature of the support and circling the wagons mentality Liverpool fans generally have, Gerrard will go on to do more harm than anyone else could get away with before people start to question both his body and his mentality. It's also going to be interesting how strong willed Rodgers will be when the time comes. I'll be honest, if Gerrard looks a liability early on in the season and Rodgers does drop him, I'll be impressed, especially given it'd put him at odds with large sections of the support.

From what Ive read in the past, I don't think it would take much for them to start questioning him this season, as it was happening in the last two years...."his legs have gone...not the player he was...becoming a liability". Their fickle nature though is strangely enough their constant too. When Rodgers moved him further back...more of a ploy to keep him out of the way further up the pitch than anything innovative - but now of course renamed Rodgers tactical quarterback switch...the kopites were trumpeting and heralding the reborn Gerrard. The nonsense surrounding the pathetic City huddle I think reinforced this in their eyes and consequently muted any real criticism of him by them for the Chelsea debacle. I do think though that hes "on an urgent note" physically as he looked knackered in Brazil...and that's apart from the psychological damage he admitted to only four weeks ago with his melodramatic "Im broken" quote. Time will tell...but I don't think the RS will let him off the hook so easily this coming season especially, as Gerrard admitted lately, they've "got the taste for the title".

 

[Guest89]

From what Ive read in the past, I don't think it would take much for them to start questioning him this season, as it was happening in the last two years...."his legs have gone...not the player he was...becoming a liability". Their fickle nature though is strangely enough their constant too. When Rodgers moved him further back...more of a ploy to keep him out of the way further up the pitch than anything innovative - but now of course renamed Rodgers tactical quarterback switch...the kopites were trumpeting and heralding the reborn Gerrard. The nonsense surrounding the pathetic City huddle I think reinforced this in their eyes and consequently muted any real criticism of him by them for the Chelsea debacle. I do think though that hes "on an urgent note" physically as he looked knackered in Brazil...and that's apart from the psychological damage he admitted to only four weeks ago with his melodramatic "Im broken" quote. Time will tell...but I don't think the RS will let him off the hook so easily this coming season especially, as Gerrard admitted lately, they've "got the taste for the title".

I think what will be key is whether they question him first or the media do. If journos write early on Gerrard looks broken, past it etc then the siege mentality will kick in and it'll become sacrilege to question him. However, if Gerrard is still the darling of the press and excuses are made for him, then I think you may be right.

I think back to a lad from works outright refusal to blame Gerrard for the Chelsea defeat though. I put it to him that Gerrard cost Liverpool the title, or the very least the game against Chelsea, his response (with a complete straight face) was "We lost 2-0, the second goal killed us, not the first" And he was backed up by a few other reds. I think it's the idea that his ability and whole legacy being called in to question is why they're more likely to rally round him and make excuses than look to see the writing that's on the wall.

 

[Jacob]

I think what will be key is whether they question him first or the media do. If journos write early on Gerrard looks broken, past it etc then the siege mentality will kick in and it'll become sacrilege to question him. However, if Gerrard is still the darling of the press and excuses are made for him, then I think you may be right.

I think back to a lad from works outright refusal to blame Gerrard for the Chelsea defeat though. I put it to him that Gerrard cost Liverpool the title, or the very least the game against Chelsea, his response (with a complete straight face) was "We lost 2-0, the second goal killed us, not the first" And he was backed up by a few other reds. I think it's the idea that his ability and whole legacy being called in to question is why they're more likely to rally round him and make excuses than look to see the writing that's on the wall.

Very much agree with you regarding to their reaction over Chelsea...I had it too. They, or unfortunately most of the ones I know, do run in a different reality loop and are in denial over a lot of things, as was shown before the Suarez circus left town. The next mistake he makes will be pivotal...and maybe he knows that too given his previous sensitivity and perception of "not being wanted" ie during the Chelsea transfer fiasco

 

[chicoazul]

Just seen my first kopite claim of them having the fastest front line of three in world football in Sturbridge, Sterling and Markovic.

They're ace, their need to continually categorise their players into being the best in Europe or the world is a thing of beauty.

You'd win they had been winning titles for fun in the past quarter of a century.

 

[d34noj]

Fair point i suppose we only see once the season starts. About the route one football though, do you mean counter attacking or just long balls? because i just want to point out we one of least about long balls last season bottom 3 while Everton was in top 3. while also in top 3 amount of short pass on average. I get the banter to rip the piss out of us, we do the same and so on, but the route one really is not true. I suppose if you mean counter attacking well we scored think 9/10? while Real scored around 12 i think goals from counter attacking. Would you class them as route one?

I agree Rodgers got them two games wrong, but it wasn't the first and won't be the last he gets it wrong. The 3-2 loss to Palace and 2-0 to City i guessing Martinez got found out? I just find it interesting how some of you guys judge football. Going by your assumptions if you don't sign Lukaku does that mean you will finish 8th to 12?

I'd love to see some concrete evidence of this, because judging from the games I saw (albeit not as many Liverpool games) we are the opposite of a long ball team.

 

[hullefc]

I'd love to see some concrete evidence of this, because judging from the games I saw (albeit not as many Liverpool games) we are the opposite of a long ball team.

Gerrard was leading contender for the most hoofball trophy, 350 roughly 10 per game, with his midfield partner Henderson 185. Between the 2 main stays of the midfield they hoofed it 540 times at 15 per game. That is before the defenders are added to the numbers.

 

[Toffe3m4n]

 

[Kurt.]

I'd love to see some concrete evidence of this, because judging from the games I saw (albeit not as many Liverpool games) we are the opposite of a long ball team.

Kopites-concrete-evidence



Be very careful mate.......

 

[Toffe3m4n]

http://www1.skysports.com/football/...steven-gerrard-reflects-on-tough-three-months

 

[hullefc]

LFC scored only 50% of their goals from open play, set pieces 26 goals Penalties 10 counter attack 9
Arsenal 79% open play , set pieces 12 goals penalties 3 counter attack 4
Chelsea 62% open play , set pieces 15 goals penalties 5 counter attack 5
City 65% open play , set pieces 20 goals penalties 6 counter attack 5
Us 66% open play , set pieces 12 goals penalties 3 counter attacks 3

LFC find it more difficult than any of the top teams in creating goals from open play, relying on set pieces, penalties and counter attacks. They don't have the creative flair to break down teams, that is why they resorted to long balls.

 

[Del]

From Feb this year

The statistics do, in some ways, suggest an increased tendency toward long-ranged passing in Liverpool’s style of play. Their average passing distance over the entire season so far stands at 19.08 metres, the 15th longest distance of any team in the division. Following the reintroduction of the captain, though, the average rises to around 20 metres and during the seven games played since Gerrard returned against Stoke, Liverpool have attempted 354 long-balls, which amounts to an average just shy of 51 per match and a figure surpassed only by four other teams of the 20 in the League. Long-balls, incidentally, are here defined as any pass which travels over 35 yards before finding a team-mate.

 

[Jacko93]

Fair point i suppose we only see once the season starts. About the route one football though, do you mean counter attacking or just long balls? because i just want to point out we one of least about long balls last season bottom 3 while Everton was in top 3. while also in top 3 amount of short pass on average. I get the banter to rip the piss out of us, we do the same and so on, but the route one really is not true. I suppose if you mean counter attacking well we scored think 9/10? while Real scored around 12 i think goals from counter attacking. Would you class them as route one?

I agree Rodgers got them two games wrong, but it wasn't the first and won't be the last he gets it wrong. The 3-2 loss to Palace and 2-0 to City i guessing Martinez got found out? I just find it interesting how some of you guys judge football. Going by your assumptions if you don't sign Lukaku does that mean you will finish 8th to 12?

Just out of interest, what position would you say that Gerrard played most last season? Deep lying holding midfielder? Yeah, me too. Anyway, as you want to look at stats, with all this rubbish about us playing long balls and you not, lets look at another stat, the second highest number of assists in open play came from whom? It was gerrard, the furthest back midfielder in your team. This would suggest that for large parts of your game, the central midfield players were bypassed. this would also support the other stats on Liverpools pace of counter-attack. You will find it very difficult to counter attack at pace by utilising a large number of short passes. So, it essentially boils down to one of two methods, running at pace with the ball (which Real Madrid do incredibly well), by Gerrard whose main attribute certainly insn't pace any longer, or a long ball by Gerrard, which the RS will tell you he's "der best in der werld at, lid".

On your other stat. Everton in the top 3 teams for long ball? This season? Cause I distinctly remember one of the main criticisms of Evertons build up play was that it could be too slow and measured. therefore suggesting that the long ball wasn't a particular ploy.

You may think its us ripping the piss, I just call it you being wrong.