Re: Football Chat Thread PART II : Mon Feb 23, 2015 6:13 pm  

Lord God Jose Mourinho wrote:

There are excuses for both van Gaal and Rodgers, but both of them have sucked this season.

I'd have to disagree... Van Gaal is dog turd, all hype, and doesn't have the foggiest what he is doing, bar playing Football Manager, only with real money and a real club - The 'carrying a clipboard' look only makes him look more of a t!t than he actually is.

Rodgers however, is doing a decent job - This season was always going to be an anti climax after last season's massive over-achievement, especially after losing Suarez to Barca and then missing Sturridge for most of the season - To look a pretty good bet to nail third is a fantastic follow up for Rodgers to last season.... What Liverpool want right now is a few successive seasons of top 4 finishes so as to build up their finances and experience for future years.... Like it or not, Liverpool are simply not in the Chelsea/Man city/Man Utd position of attracting big names by throwing stupid money at them - Steady progress, which is what Liverpool are achieving, is the way to go for them. I'd confidently say, that if they don't lose their nerve doing it slowly, then they will finally have a PL title within 5 or 6 years.

Re: Football Chat Thread PART II : Mon Feb 23, 2015 7:04 pm  

Dita's Slot Meter wrote:

I'd have to disagree... Van Gaal is dog turd, all hype, and doesn't have the foggiest what he is doing, bar playing Football Manager, only with real money and a real club - The 'carrying a clipboard' look only makes him look more of a t!t than he actually is.

It's van Gaal's first year in the PL. He's taken over a completely disjointed team and the club have just gone out and thrown a bunch of money at the problem with no sense of making a team.

I think van Gaal has an acceptable rather than stellar CV. He's won things everywhere he's been, but he's also made enemies wherever he's been. He doesn't have the personality to deal well with a prickly British press. I doubt he's got the personality to win over the dressing room quickly either.

IMO he's done a poor job and he's got a difficult job on his hands. But calling a CL and multiple title winner dog turd is simply ridiculous.

Rodgers however, is doing a decent job - This season was always going to be an anti climax after last season's massive over-achievement, especially after losing Suarez to Barca and then missing Sturridge for most of the season - To look a pretty good bet to nail third is a fantastic follow up for Rodgers to last season....

Liverpool are 6th right now. If they finish top 4 then Rodgers will deserve the plaudits. But he doesn't deserve plaudits because you think they're a good bet for third when they could actually end up 7th.

What Liverpool want right now is a few successive seasons of top 4 finishes so as to build up their finances and experience for future years.... Like it or not, Liverpool are simply not in the Chelsea/Man city/Man Utd position of attracting big names by throwing stupid money at them - Steady progress, which is what Liverpool are achieving, is the way to go for them. I'd confidently say, that if they don't lose their nerve doing it slowly, then they will finally have a PL title within 5 or 6 years.

The delusion on Merseyside is ridiculous.

"King" Kenny finished 7th in the league, won the League Cup, reached the FA Cup final. He got sacked.

Rodgers came in and finished 7th, with two embarrassing cup exits.

Last season Liverpool were Suarez-inspired to a 2nd place finish, which really should have been an amazing title win.

They are now 6th, on the back of a good win at Southampton, while United are 3rd, on the back of a dreadful defeat to Swansea.

There really hasn't been a year on year improvement from Rodgers. They might have turned the corner and end up top 4 with the FA Cup, but equally they could just as easily stay where they are and win nothing.

Either Rodgers or van Gaal could finish top 4 this season and win the FA Cup. If either of them does this season will be classed as a very good one, no matter what people are saying now. But until the games have been played it's ridiculous to be throwing plaudits to Rodgers when he's done FA to deserve them.

Liverpool title winners in 5 years??? WTF are you smoking?

Re: Football Chat Thread PART II : Mon Feb 23, 2015 8:26 pm  

I would suggest that if United don't finish in the top 4, especially after a season of no European football and little Cup football, then Van Gaal should be fired.

As for Rodgers, the fact that his side are competitive and in the mix for the top 4 and a couple of trophies, is a decent return after losing a talent like Suarez, who was widely accepted as being the major reason for Liverpool's 2nd place finish.

Re: Football Chat Thread PART II : Mon Feb 23, 2015 11:07 pm  

Lord God Jose Mourinho wrote:

It's van Gaal's first year in the PL. He's taken over a completely disjointed team and the club have just gone out and thrown a bunch of money at the problem with no sense of making a team.

I think van Gaal has an acceptable rather than stellar CV. He's won things everywhere he's been, but he's also made enemies wherever he's been. He doesn't have the personality to deal well with a prickly British press. I doubt he's got the personality to win over the dressing room quickly either.

IMO he's done a poor job and he's got a difficult job on his hands. But calling a CL and multiple title winner dog turd is simply ridiculous.

Liverpool are 6th right now. If they finish top 4 then Rodgers will deserve the plaudits. But he doesn't deserve plaudits because you think they're a good bet for third when they could actually end up 7th.

The delusion on Merseyside is ridiculous.

"King" Kenny finished 7th in the league, won the League Cup, reached the FA Cup final. He got sacked.

Rodgers came in and finished 7th, with two embarrassing cup exits.

Last season Liverpool were Suarez-inspired to a 2nd place finish, which really should have been an amazing title win.

They are now 6th, on the back of a good win at Southampton, while United are 3rd, on the back of a dreadful defeat to Swansea.

There really hasn't been a year on year improvement from Rodgers. They might have turned the corner and end up top 4 with the FA Cup, but equally they could just as easily stay where they are and win nothing.

Either Rodgers or van Gaal could finish top 4 this season and win the FA Cup. If either of them does this season will be classed as a very good one, no matter what people are saying now. But until the games have been played it's ridiculous to be throwing plaudits to Rodgers when he's done FA to deserve them.

Liverpool title winners in 5 years??? WTF are you smoking?

The club have gone out and thrown money with no sense of making a team. Van Gaal isn't included in that then? Do you not think van Gaal wanted Blind, Di Maria, Falcao, Rojo etc then. The guy has spent close to £200M but it's okay because he's not English, has a decent CV and he's not called David Moyes.

As for Rodgers he's done a superb job up to know given the cards he was dealt with.

Re: Football Chat Thread PART II : Tue Feb 24, 2015 12:10 am  

Look at the league table. Man United are in 4th place. Look at the FA Cup draw. Man United are 90 minutes away from a Wembley semi final as well.

I don't actually think van Gaal is doing any better than rabbit in the headlights Moyes did last year, considering the vast sum United have thrown at the team. However he has taken over a side that finished 7th last year and they are presently 3rd.

Giving Rodgers credit for being in the Europa League last 32 is ridiculous. Liverpool's CL campaign was a total disaster and the only reason they finished 3rd rather than 4th was the Ludogorets keepers utter brain explosion that gifted them their only win.

I don't like either of Rodgers or van Gaal. As a Chelsea fan though Rodgers would have been shown the door by Abramovich while the axe would be getting sharpened for van Gaal if it looked likely that top 4 wasn't going to be achieved.

Either van Gaal or Rodgers could end the season strongly and achieve enough to say they've had a good season. But right now, they've both sucked.

Re: Football Chat Thread PART II : Wed Feb 25, 2015 5:50 pm  

Lord God Jose Mourinho wrote:

I don't like either of Rodgers or van Gaal. As a Chelsea fan though Rodgers would have been shown the door by Abramovich while the axe would be getting sharpened for van Gaal if it looked likely that top 4 wasn't going to be achieved.

I seriously can't believe you are criticising Brodge. He took a leaderless team that was playing awful football and in the space of twelve months turned them into one of the most attractive footballing teams in the country. That doesn't even compare to LVG and what he hasn't done with the most expensive side in EPL history.

Brodge had to sell his one genuine world class talent and understandably it's taken a while for the new players to get to grips with the system. He'd be no good at Chelsea because, as you say, Roman wants to win today not tomorrow. However, that has little bearing on Brodge, who manages a team whose owners are prepared to look at the longer-term picture. Liverpool have different expectations. I mean, had Brodge the amount of money and talent at his disposal as Jose has had I doubt we'd even be discussing it.

Re: Football Chat Thread PART II : Wed Feb 25, 2015 6:34 pm  

As I've already said, under Dalglish Liverpool won the League Cup and reached the FA Cup final. Dalglish also signed Luis Suarez. So to say that they were leaderless and playing awful football is just a lie.

I reserve judgement on Rodgers. At the moment he was just lucky to have been Liverpool's manager at the time when Suarez flourished into the amazing player he became. He was also the beneficiary of a gift from CFC in Sturridge. If I had any say at CFC there'd have been no way we'd have sold him to them, especially for that ridiculous fee.

I do think losing Suarez and having Sturridge out for so long is such a massive blow that nearly all managers would suffer. So in a way this seasons fall has been perfectly understandable.

All I'm saying is that right now Liverpool are in 6th place in the league. If LFC finish in 6th or lower this season then this season will be a bust. If they finish top 4 and win the FA Cup then Rodgers will rightfully be accepting plaudits. But praising Rodgers for his top 4 finish when he hasn't even done it yet is just stupid.

Rodgers has the potential to become a great manager. There is definite glimpses there. But he could also collapse, get fired and struggle to get another job in the PL again.

Re: Football Chat Thread PART II : Wed Feb 25, 2015 9:04 pm  

Lord God Jose Mourinho wrote:

As I've already said, under Dalglish Liverpool won the League Cup and reached the FA Cup final. Dalglish also signed Luis Suarez. So to say that they were leaderless and playing awful football is just a lie.

Why is it? You can be leaderless, play awful football and still compete. You're not suggesting they were playing better or more effective football under Daglish are you? One only has to watch a few games to see the difference. I mean, we're not talking a nuanced change. Brodge overhauled the team in playing style and squad, more or less (only Johnson, Skrtel, Henderson, Gerrard, Jose Enrique of the cup final squad are still at Liverpool).

Re: Football Chat Thread PART II : Thu Feb 26, 2015 3:11 am  

Kenny Daglish's 2011 12 League position by PL round:

5 5 3 6 8 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 6 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 7 7 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

Brendan Rodgers 2012 13 League position by PL round:

18 16 18 17 18 14 14 11 12 12 13 11 11 12 11 10 12 8 10 9 8 8 7 7 7 9 8 7 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

Brendan Rodgers 2013 14 PL record:

4 2 1 1 2 2 1 3 2 3 2 2 4 4 2 2 1 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 2

Brendan Rodgers PL record so far this season:

2 9 5 8 10 12 6 5 7 7 8 12 11 8 9 10 10 9 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 6

IMO there's virtually nothing in Rodgers previous record which suggests why people are so confident that he's going to power his way to a top 4 finish.

Man United's wiki page doesn't have a pasteable table for this season, but suffice to say after an absolutely horrid start to the season United have spent the second half of this season firmly placed in 3rd/4th.

Generally I don't make predictions. But I'd say that it's almost certain that neither Chelsea nor Citeh will collapse so badly that they finish outside the top 4. Arsenal are Arsenal, so they'll win their top 4 finish trophy again. So that leaves one spot open. Personally I'd absolutely love it if both Rodgers and Van Gaal missed out and Koeman got it. But if I was forced to pick who I think will make top 4 then the CL winner and 7 times title winner van Gaal would get the nod over Brendan "Won FA yet" Rodgers.

Re: Football Chat Thread PART II : Thu Feb 26, 2015 2:52 pm  

You're on. I'm taking Brodge to beat Butthead