ewerk 31199 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 (edited) And our biggest problem last season was an inability to score / create chances. I'd agree but funnily enough there were only two teams in the bottom nine who scored more than us over the course of the season. Edit: Though of course we failed to score in 6 of our last 8. Edited June 16, 2009 by ewerk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 And our biggest problem last season was an inability to score / create chances. I'd agree but funnily enough there were only two teams in the bottom nine who scored more than us over the course of the season. Tells you more about stats than anything else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 14013 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 I think defending a lead was also a problem for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 I think defending a lead was also a problem for us. Similar problem really though. I.e. more to with the front 6 than the back 4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 14013 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 In the sense that the midfield often left the back four exposed yeah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 In the sense that the midfield often left the back four exposed yeah. Not just in a defensive sense but also the problem with creating chances, keeping possession, etc. etc. All adds pressure to the back four, which leads to mistakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fish 10963 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Our problem was always our inability to do anything with the ball. How many of our goals came from good play, and how many of them were as a result of set plays? We at no point, controlled a game. Even the ones we won quite comfortably, the opposition always had better use of the ball. Gary Speed used to do it, so did Lee, just seemed to be comfortable and confident on the ball, happy to step past a player and move it (or himself) into space. This season Butt, Nolan were both too keen to be rid of the ball, Smith and Guthrie over-estimated their ability and Barton was in jail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Our problem was always our inability to do anything with the ball. How many of our goals came from good play, and how many of them were as a result of set plays? We at no point, controlled a game. Even the ones we won quite comfortably, the opposition always had better use of the ball. Gary Speed used to do it, so did Lee, just seemed to be comfortable and confident on the ball, happy to step past a player and move it (or himself) into space. This season Butt, Nolan were both too keen to be rid of the ball, Smith and Guthrie over-estimated their ability and Barton was in jail. Aye, I've discussed this before with ScottishMag, Johnny (and others no doubt). Central midfield is and has been for some time a massive problem for us and that is why we've failed to control matches. How often last season did we play well in little spells without being able to maintain it for anything like 90 minutes? Even against very ordinary sides, let alone quality ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ayatollah Hermione 14052 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Our problem was always our inability to do anything with the ball. How many of our goals came from good play, and how many of them were as a result of set plays? We at no point, controlled a game. Even the ones we won quite comfortably, the opposition always had better use of the ball. Gary Speed used to do it, so did Lee, just seemed to be comfortable and confident on the ball, happy to step past a player and move it (or himself) into space. This season Butt, Nolan were both too keen to be rid of the ball, Smith and Guthrie over-estimated their ability and Barton was in jail. Aye, I've discussed this before with ScottishMag, Johnny (and others no doubt). Central midfield is and has been for some time a massive problem for us and that is why we've failed to control matches. How often last season did we play well in little spells without being able to maintain it for anything like 90 minutes? Even against very ordinary sides, let alone quality ones. Villa at home? I can't remember them threatening much. Could make a case for Boro at home as well though they had their moments. Still depressing like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fish 10963 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Sickeningly it's that area where we had the most bodies, but the least actual talent. How much did we end up spending on those corpses? Nolan, Guthrie, Geremi, Smith and Barton? getting on to £20m isn't it? Two £10m midfielders or one £15m and a wee laddy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fish 10963 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Villa at home? I can't remember them threatening much. Could make a case for Boro at home as well though they had their moments. Still depressing like. No, they didn't threaten, but it was a case of "we're shite have the ball, no we're shite you have it back" than any concernted dominance of play, ditto with the smoggies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 14013 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Villa had a load of chances in the first half! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Sickeningly it's that area where we had the most bodies, but the least actual talent. How much did we end up spending on those corpses? Nolan, Guthrie, Geremi, Smith and Barton? getting on to £20m isn't it? Two £10m midfielders or one £15m and a wee laddy... We only bought Nolan because Barton got injured like. I know what point you're making btw, I was just illustrating the sort of 'thinking' that went into some of the signings. When you look at that lot though, only Barton has a decent engine (even though I think Guthrie is a canny player). And it's a position where getting up and down is so important. Hardly rocket science. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 14013 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Does anyone think we would have stayed up if Barton didn't get suspended? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fish 10963 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 It's that conversation where you start valuing players in the number of points they'd win you/save you. I think we definitely would have saved a point or two with Given, Milner would have got us at least one point and I think Charles would have done the samer... Barton. I reckon he'd have cost us as many as he credited us. Silly freekicks and penalties and the like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dynamite 7169 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Does anyone think we would have stayed up if Barton didn't get suspended? No Hes shit man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohhh_yeah 2991 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Liverpool poised to sign Johnson By Phil McNulty Liverpool look to have won the race to sign England defender Glen Johnson after agreeing a fee in the region of £17m with Portsmouth. Reds' boss Rafael Benitez is confident he has beaten off interest from Chelsea in the 24-year-old and expects to make him his first summer signing. Manchester City had also registered an interest in Johnson, but it is believed Anfield is his preferred destination. Benitez is now likely to sell Andrea Dossena to help fund the deal. Johnson, who joined Portsmouth from Chelsea in a £4m deal two years ago, emerged as Benitez's prime target after having an outstanding season at Fratton Park last season. Benitez is working within financial restrictions in the transfer market this summer, but it is understood Liverpool are still owed money from the deal that took Peter Crouch to Portsmouth last summer. Spanish defender Alvaro Arbeloa could also be sacrificed to raise cash towards the Johnson deal, with Real Madrid being linked with an £8m move. He has cemented a place as England's first-choice right-back under coach Fabio Capello and played in the two recent World Cup qualifying victories against Kazakhstan and Andorra. Johnson signed a new four-year deal at Portsmouth in January, but club officials accepted they could not stand in his way if he was offered the opportunity to move a club playing in the Champions League. I thought Liverpool were on the bones!! how much is still owed on the crouch transfer??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acid 0 Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Hanemann joins Wolves on a one year deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bawan 0 Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport...-185m-Glen.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0 Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport...-185m-Glen.html That's a lot of money for a rightback. Not many of them are game-changers are they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohhh_yeah 2991 Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 roque santa cruz joins manchester city for £17m... http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/ju...lackburn-rovers http://www.mcfc.co.uk/default.sps?pageid=1...amp;toyear=2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bawan 0 Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport...-185m-Glen.html That's a lot of money for a rightback. Not many of them are game-changers are they? Apart from Alves and Bosingwa I cant think of many more, Alves does score his fair share from defence and Bosingwa has created a fair few this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaineRoadMemories 0 Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 (edited) Just added Stuart Taylor (from Villa ex Arsenal) to our ranks in addition to RSC. This will allow Hart to go out on loan to get first team Prem experience and further develop his skills. A good two days so far. Edited June 23, 2009 by MaineRoadMemories Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinofbeans 91 Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 he was always a good keeper whenever i saw him. Taylor that is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Castell 0 Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Glad Santa Cruz has finally gone. His constant whining on the radio in Paraguay about wanting a move and then saying it was a mistranslation was most tiresome. £17-18m is a good fee. Oh and Denilson, once the world's most expensive player has left his team Haioping Concrete of Vietnam after 3 weeks at the club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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