I would guess that Flanagan will also see time at right back (his natural position).
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The 2014-2015 Football Thread
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I would guess that Flanagan will also see time at right back (his natural position).
His football career once fell so low that he ended up working in a beetroot cannery, and he has played and scored in all four divisions of the football league. Journeyman. I don't rate him as a starter though he's free to prove me wrong. He's a squad player or super-sub who offers a more classic approach to the forward position.
As long as Liverpool's defending improves, the lack of 'surprise factor' is irrelevant in my opinion, because the team still has the tools to win games (though I agree they won't be as swashbuckling about it anymore without Luis). Mourinho was hailed as a genius for his wins over Liverpool and Man City, but at the end of the day he won nothing with a very expensively assembled team. Liverpool were let down by a general lack of solidity at the back, and Gerrard's unfortunate mistake.
I dunno, they way them media are stroking van Gaal at the moment, the football layperson would be excused for thinking LvG invented tactics.
Rogers came to Liverpool claiming he would play a passing, attacking game and he didn't really - Liverpool played on the break quite a bit last season, starting rapid attacks from deep. They often found themselves pinned back badly and got out of it through the speed and technique of the three S's. They came close to his ideal on a few occasions, but at the end of the day Rogers has adapted to his available squad rather than simply imposing a vision on a squad incapable of fully executing it. Liverpool are neither an all-out attacking team nor an ultra-defensive Mourinho team. But few teams are such an extreme anyway.
IF the new defenders come in and can really shore up the back, Liverpool won't have to become more defensive anyway.
Thanks, but I really mean: lol. Sounds nice. There was a player/striker at Hamburg (HSV) who was a sports journalist and started playing professionally for them in his late twenties / early thirties iirc. He may went as far as a CL game or UEFA League because of injured strikers.
Not the same league as Lambert but still..some years ago though - unthinkable today (albeit not THAT long ago).
The entitlement of big club fans must be horrible for other fans to listen to (and yes, I indulge in self-loathing from time to time as a Liverpool fan
). The radio is currently full of Man Utd-supporting pundits, John Bruin being the worst offender, and, worse, fans who talk about the 'Man Utd Way' as being equivalent to attractive football and winning big trophies. It's just what they do - it's in their DNA. It's true that the Premier League era has probably locked certain clubs into success forever, but the fact remains that nobody is entitled to it. Last season's failure was also the 'Man Utd Way', because the club was the architect of its own failure. Fans grew up on success expect and feel entitled to it. But they could do a Leeds. The same held true for Liverpool under Hicks and Gillette - the club wasn't entitled to anything, and when they failed, it was deserved. When such clubs do succeed it is through superior resources, which gives them the ability to hire the best talent - not some birthright to be the best. Preston North End, or Dagenham & Redbridge, or any other of a number of clubs could be the 'biggest club in the world' full of marketing revenue and glitz but for a few quirks of fate. Rant over. Having said that, LvG is a winner. Massively pompous and arrogant - but a winner. If his previous career is any guide, he will certainly win things at Man Utd, and eventually burn all his bridges and leave after a few years. But he'll probably build a cracking team in the meantime and, of the top four clubs plus Utd, I do feel that Liverpool have much to worry about to stay in the top four. I would not be surprised to see them finish fifth.
Lambert becomes a very busy man. I think Rogers wanted a striker this summer (and one could still arrive), but the defense was probably a bigger priority. Eto'o is rumored to be a target. I guess it's better than nothing but he is bad value. Borini is probably going to be sold, which means either Rogers feels he can get by without him or that he will be replaced.
Gave up on media pundits a long time ago. Asking them to be objective is like asking a colour-blind individual to describe a rainbow. At least the fans have a valid reason to be biased.
Meanwhile, another newly signed player is broken. Also this tweet is funny and relevant.
Meanwhile, another newly signed player is broken. Also this tweet is funny and relevant.
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True. It's hard to avoid them, though. The best play-by-play announcers are still fun to listen to, but punditry (especially the in-studio TV variety) is pretty awful.
Indeed.
The best pundits, like Tim Vickery and Johnathan Wilson, are really good though.
I think the only voice i like listening to in football now, is Martin Tyler (used to include Andy Gray) for play-by-play.
The rest i'm not too fussed and/or i don't know of.
EDIT: Suarez ban upheld. But predictably now allowed to train. Would that happen with any other club i wonder.
The rest i'm not too fussed and/or i don't know of.
EDIT: Suarez ban upheld. But predictably now allowed to train. Would that happen with any other club i wonder.
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FIFA and nearly all FAs are either corrupt, incompetent or both. Obviously being 'banned from all footballing activities' means you can be bought or sold and also train. Given how many convicted criminals there are running the game, are we surprised?
I've always enjoyed Ian Darke and Steve McManaman. I think they make a good team in the booth.
Different sport, but during the British Open, or The Open as you lot like to call it, I really enjoyed a brief cameo by Peter Alliss during US coverage. I could listen to that guy ramble for days.
Different sport, but during the British Open, or The Open as you lot like to call it, I really enjoyed a brief cameo by Peter Alliss during US coverage. I could listen to that guy ramble for days.
Legia Warsaw have lost their appeal against being booted out of the Champions League for what was a comically minor infraction. So Celtic have been given the chance to experience being mercilessly pummeled out of the Champions League twice in one season.
I do like Darke. Color commentary's job is usually to criticize the players and refs using ultra slo-mo replays that none of them have the benefit of seeing. McManaman is OK at that.
I do like Darke. Color commentary's job is usually to criticize the players and refs using ultra slo-mo replays that none of them have the benefit of seeing. McManaman is OK at that.
They'll get £20m...not a bad trade.
Meanwhile Shane Long to S'oton for £12.5m. Eh?
Steve Bruce must be laughing all the way to the bank.
Dortmund's B-squad totally destroyed Bayern's B-squad yesterday in the so called DFL-Supercup (cup winner agains league winner - "Oh, they're both the same team? Doesn't matter we just take the second best!" ).
Martinez, just assigned Bayern's new main-man / CB, unfortunately got severly injured, well self inflicted, and faces a 4-month halt. Squad looks severly shattered - lots of out of form / late WC entries.
Dortmund on the other half <3 Extremely deep / high quality squad. Will be interesting to follow this year. Munich still favorite but I just hope Dortmund can get a head start and hence close the gap significantly this round. Leverkusen should be good too.
).Martinez, just assigned Bayern's new main-man / CB, unfortunately got severly injured, well self inflicted, and faces a 4-month halt. Squad looks severly shattered - lots of out of form / late WC entries.
Dortmund on the other half <3 Extremely deep / high quality squad. Will be interesting to follow this year. Munich still favorite but I just hope Dortmund can get a head start and hence close the gap significantly this round. Leverkusen should be good too.
I do hope Dortmund have a good season, just so Bayern don't have it all their own way.
I'd call it theft, frankly.
I'd call it theft, frankly.
Tyler, Darke, McManaman, Townsend, Guy Mowbray, Jonathan Pearce, Jacqui Oatley, Jim Beglin, Clarke Carlisle, Danny Murphy, and Mark Lawrenson; take the lot and drop them into an active volcano.
Curious to know what Tony's beef was. He's going to be breathing down the neck of every embattled manager in the Premier league now.
Only if Adrian Chiles goes in first.
Only if Adrian Chiles goes in first.
Hard to disagree; Pulis' Stoke spent a lot of money and while they stayed firmly in the top division, they aren't exactly challenging the top of the table. I don't see a Pulis team going much further than that.
Long gone.
It's a curious situation, however I get the impression that his family weren't thrilled to be moved to the North, despite Hull's 'City of Culture' credentials.
We'll see how (and if) the sizeable profit on Long is invested...
and typically for a German side (as it seems these days), they played with born out of necessity replacements. They had two injured CBs before the match started. Were replaced by a wing-defender and a midfielder.Brazil just can't seem to win a game these days.
...
B-squad: hey they had Neuer, still. ;-)
(Does make up for loosing high in Liverpool, though)
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