Dalglish.

[Park Life 71]

Good read:

 

"Dalglish's argument about ill-fortune, the defiance of opposing goalkeepers and a failure to reap deserved rewards carries some merit, but starts to lose its legs when it happens on such a regular basis.

He is coming up to the first anniversary of his return to Anfield as manager following Roy Hodgson's sacking - a year that has seen an undoubted improvement in the style of play via a return to old values and a sense of unity coming back to a club that had been fractured for so long.

 

 

This does not mean, however, that his work can escape questions, especially when he has spent funds so lavishly on attacking resources and Liverpool have failed to score twice at Anfield since the victory against Wolves in September.

And one question in particular irks Dalglish - a question he was again asked in the aftermath of another unfulfilling afternoon for £35m striker Andy Carroll. He may not like the question, but it will not go away until the giant Geordie at least hints at riches - not to mention value for money - to come.

"Unbelievable" was Dalglish's response to being asked to deliver an assessment of Carroll's performance. And yet it remains a valid query.

 

 

Carroll should have scored with a chance from only eight yards in the first half and was only denied the status of match-winner by Bunn's late brilliance. Such are the fine margins of operation at this level.

And yet too often his positioning and reactions seem awry, too often this season he has been attacking the important moments from a standing start. Dalglish has delivered his complete public confidence in Carroll - now he must transfer it to a striker who is clearly struggling to make an impact.

With Stewart Downing continuing to be a hit-and-miss affair, Liverpool and their supporters are still waiting for £55m worth of attacking talent to make their mark and the statistics prove something is absent that Dalglish will need to address next month.

 

Luis Suarez's performances have deemed him an unqualified playing success, and yet for a footballer of such prowess his finishing is too often wayward. Four times in the first 20 minutes he finished with varying degrees of inaccuracy, none on target.

He was perfectly described by one press-box sage as "Liverpool's ideas man rather than the one you want to deliver the finished product". The Uruguayan has abundant natural gifts, but on the evidence of his season so far, ruthless finishing is not among them.

In boxing terms Liverpool have all the moves and a stout defence, but at Anfield at least they struggle to punch a hole in a paper bag. Blackburn and Bolton have both scored more Premier League goals this season than Dalglish's side - a stark statistic for a team aiming for the top four.

 

Dalglish is unswerving in support of his players but it will not blind him to the reality of the heavy price of lost points at home. And Liverpool are losing too many.

Kean, buoyed by this point, set his sights on four January signings. Whether he is still at Blackburn to make them, and whether he actually gets the backing from owners Venky's to sign the quartet if he is, is a story for another day.

Dalglish does not need such reinforcement in numbers after his summer transfer activity and with captain Steven Gerrard back for a 22-minute cameo following his latest injury problems, but the growing body of evidence at Anfield suggests he still has to find a missing link."

 

After 100m spending still needed.

[manc-mag 1]

Good read:

 

"Dalglish's argument about ill-fortune, the defiance of opposing goalkeepers and a failure to reap deserved rewards carries some merit, but starts to lose its legs when it happens on such a regular basis.

He is coming up to the first anniversary of his return to Anfield as manager following Roy Hodgson's sacking - a year that has seen an undoubted improvement in the style of play via a return to old values and a sense of unity coming back to a club that had been fractured for so long.

 

 

This does not mean, however, that his work can escape questions, especially when he has spent funds so lavishly on attacking resources and Liverpool have failed to score twice at Anfield since the victory against Wolves in September.

And one question in particular irks Dalglish - a question he was again asked in the aftermath of another unfulfilling afternoon for £35m striker Andy Carroll. He may not like the question, but it will not go away until the giant Geordie at least hints at riches - not to mention value for money - to come.

"Unbelievable" was Dalglish's response to being asked to deliver an assessment of Carroll's performance. And yet it remains a valid query.

 

 

Carroll should have scored with a chance from only eight yards in the first half and was only denied the status of match-winner by Bunn's late brilliance. Such are the fine margins of operation at this level.

And yet too often his positioning and reactions seem awry, too often this season he has been attacking the important moments from a standing start. Dalglish has delivered his complete public confidence in Carroll - now he must transfer it to a striker who is clearly struggling to make an impact.

With Stewart Downing continuing to be a hit-and-miss affair, Liverpool and their supporters are still waiting for £55m worth of attacking talent to make their mark and the statistics prove something is absent that Dalglish will need to address next month.

 

Luis Suarez's performances have deemed him an unqualified playing success, and yet for a footballer of such prowess his finishing is too often wayward. Four times in the first 20 minutes he finished with varying degrees of inaccuracy, none on target.

He was perfectly described by one press-box sage as "Liverpool's ideas man rather than the one you want to deliver the finished product". The Uruguayan has abundant natural gifts, but on the evidence of his season so far, ruthless finishing is not among them.

In boxing terms Liverpool have all the moves and a stout defence, but at Anfield at least they struggle to punch a hole in a paper bag. Blackburn and Bolton have both scored more Premier League goals this season than Dalglish's side - a stark statistic for a team aiming for the top four.

 

Dalglish is unswerving in support of his players but it will not blind him to the reality of the heavy price of lost points at home. And Liverpool are losing too many.

Kean, buoyed by this point, set his sights on four January signings. Whether he is still at Blackburn to make them, and whether he actually gets the backing from owners Venky's to sign the quartet if he is, is a story for another day.

Dalglish does not need such reinforcement in numbers after his summer transfer activity and with captain Steven Gerrard back for a 22-minute cameo following his latest injury problems, but the growing body of evidence at Anfield suggests he still has to find a missing link."

 

After 100m spending still needed.

 

This is the thing though, it is still needed. And that tells you all you need to know about the Prem these days-he's spent a fortune in a year and it's still not got them into the CL places because a few teams are utterly awash with mega money. They will have to spend more again. If there was ever an obvious example of why we absolutely will not spend fantasy money to compete for the one 'remaining' available CL place it's Liverpool FC.

 

He's not spent it brilliantly but he's not been a disaster either. He's got a persecution complex on a par with Martin O'Neil though the grumbling, depressing twat that he is, and hopefully that will be what causes them both to fail, ultimately.

[toonotl 3114]

I would say he has spent horribly. Carroll and Hendersen are shit and that accounts for £55mill. That's shit spending in anyone's language.

[manc-mag 1]

Yes I would agree he's spent horribly overall. His value is in galvanizing the club/being the iconic figurehead manager though. The same players were always going to do more for him than Hodgson.

 

None of them will turn out to be truly awful footballers, they'll just not be worth what he paid.

[toonotl 3114]

That's true for the fans. Not so much for the players. I think they probably see through his bullshit. To me that is why he is signing prodominantly English/British players, to try and leverage as much influence over the players as he can, because foreign players aren't necessarily going to give two hoots what he means to Liverpool or to British football.

Edited December 28, 2011 by toonotl

[Tooj 17]

I was reading the other day that Downing hasn't even got a goal or an assist yet.

[toonotl 3114]

 

I have faith that if Pardew was given the money to spend that Dalglish has been given we'd be in the Champions League next season.

[Asprilla 96]

 

He's got a persecution complex on a par with Martin O'Neil though the grumbling, depressing twat that he is, and hopefully that will be what causes them both to fail, ultimately.

 

[Aeris 0]

Kenny Dalglish is a missing link.

[Monroe Transfer 0]

[sniffer 0]

And yet, at the end of the day, Liverpool will win trophies or be there or thereabouts and we won't.

[Chronic the Drug Wasp 6]

I see the first tentative criticisms of King Wanksplat are being uttered among the Liverpool faithful. Give them another year and perhaps they'll see him for the washed-up alky that he is.

 

He should have wrapped it after Blackburn and I for one wish he had, the damage he managed to do to us in such a short space of time was remarkable.

[Craig 6700]

I would say he has spent horribly. Carroll and Hendersen are shit and that accounts for £55mill. That's shit spending in anyone's language.

 

I can't agree with that. They're not shit - Carroll in particular proved when he was with us that he could be deadly given the right service. It's that point where Dalglish has failed - he's totally overlooked the strengths of the players.

 

I've heard the same argument from various different Liverpool fans that Carroll's failing is that he's "not playing the Liverpool way". I'm sorry like but what absolute, arrogant dog-shit! If you pledge to spend £35 million on one single player, you should be prepared to build the team around his strengths - not berate him because he's "not fitting into the Liverpool way of things".

 

He's the most expensive British player there's ever been - yet they're insistent on still building the side around the so called merits of a 32 year old captain who's injury prone and hardly the future.

 

I said to the missus's Dad a year ago that they needed to make a quality winger their priority in the summer if they want to get anything out of Carroll. Instead they forked out on central midfielders Adam & Henderson and also Downing who wants to play in the middle. Ashley Young would have made them deadly this year but they showed little interest.

[RobH 0]

I would say he has spent horribly. Carroll and Hendersen are shit and that accounts for £55mill. That's shit spending in anyone's language.

 

I can't agree with that. They're not shit - Carroll in particular proved when he was with us that he could be deadly given the right service. It's that point where Dalglish has failed - he's totally overlooked the strengths of the players.

 

I've heard the same argument from various different Liverpool fans that Carroll's failing is that he's "not playing the Liverpool way". I'm sorry like but what absolute, arrogant dog-shit! If you pledge to spend £35 million on one single player, you should be prepared to build the team around his strengths - not berate him because he's "not fitting into the Liverpool way of things".

 

He's the most expensive British player there's ever been - yet they're insistent on still building the side around the so called merits of a 32 year old captain who's injury prone and hardly the future.

 

I said to the missus's Dad a year ago that they needed to make a quality winger their priority in the summer if they want to get anything out of Carroll. Instead they forked out on central midfielders Adam & Henderson and also Downing who wants to play in the middle. Ashley Young would have made them deadly this year but they showed little interest.

I agree with that to an extent but it's dificult to argue that, even playing to his strengths, he's worth 35million. For that sort of money you want a forward who can win games on his own at the highest level and has more to their game than being very good in the air. Carroll is a very limited footballer and also one who limits the way in which your team can be successful.

[Craig 6700]

How do you measure what someone is worth? Answer - how much someone is willing to pay for them.

 

To that end, Carroll is definitively worth £35m whether we agree or not.

 

Regardless, my point is not about the actual figure they spent. It's how relative that figure is to that which was paid for his peers. Given that, Liverpool should be building their side around the strengths of Andy Carroll.

 

...and they're clearly not.

[Andrew 4863]

I would say he has spent horribly. Carroll and Hendersen are shit and that accounts for £55mill. That's shit spending in anyone's language.

 

I can't agree with that. They're not shit - Carroll in particular proved when he was with us that he could be deadly given the right service. It's that point where Dalglish has failed - he's totally overlooked the strengths of the players.

 

I've heard the same argument from various different Liverpool fans that Carroll's failing is that he's "not playing the Liverpool way". I'm sorry like but what absolute, arrogant dog-shit! If you pledge to spend £35 million on one single player, you should be prepared to build the team around his strengths - not berate him because he's "not fitting into the Liverpool way of things".

 

 

thats bad buying then, to spend 35 million you either cant or wont make your system work for is shocking management

[Billy Whitehurst 933]

I see the first tentative criticisms of King Wanksplat are being uttered among the Liverpool faithful. Give them another year and perhaps they'll see him for the washed-up alky that he is.

 

He should have wrapped it after Blackburn and I for one wish he had, the damage he managed to do to us in such a short space of time was remarkable.

 

This pretty much sums up my thoughts on Rab C Dalglish also, can't stand the twat.

[RobH 0]

That principle assumes people are entirely rational, which they aren't. I agree that they aren't getting the best of him due to poor management and that they could have better spent the Henderson money on getting someone who would get the best from Carroll. My point is more that for that sort of money they paid, I would be unhappy with a player who is so limited and who limits the team so much.

[McFaul 35]

When I saw Dalglish am I wrong to think to myself "I hope this is a yes Gemmill" cunt of a man.

 

The point Craig hints at is valid, the service he's had is shit. Do people want him to play like Messi? He's 6ft4, and was mentioned by Keegan himself as being the best header of a ball he's seen in 45 years of being involved in professional football. That being the case if you were going to spend the annual GDP of a rogue African state on a striker of his stature, is it not fucking stupid to play every formation other than an old fashioned 4 4 2?? Not one have Liverpool played with two touchline huggers, getting the ball in to the box, he'll win it 8 times out of 10, an absolute disaster of a signing for them, and Carroll is only half to blame for the catastrophic signing he has been.

[Craig 6700]

I would say he has spent horribly. Carroll and Hendersen are shit and that accounts for £55mill. That's shit spending in anyone's language.

 

I can't agree with that. They're not shit - Carroll in particular proved when he was with us that he could be deadly given the right service. It's that point where Dalglish has failed - he's totally overlooked the strengths of the players.

 

I've heard the same argument from various different Liverpool fans that Carroll's failing is that he's "not playing the Liverpool way". I'm sorry like but what absolute, arrogant dog-shit! If you pledge to spend £35 million on one single player, you should be prepared to build the team around his strengths - not berate him because he's "not fitting into the Liverpool way of things".

 

 

thats bad buying then, to spend 35 million you either cant or wont make your system work for is shocking management

 

No, it's not. The purchase itself cannot be construed as 'shocking management', nor can it truly be placed at Dalglish's door. The transfer fees are surely down to the likes of Comolli, Werner and, ultimately, Henry.

 

The 'shocking management' is the complete failure to play their biggest investment to any of his strengths. That issue sits wholly with Kenny Dalglish which is why I believe he's getting a bit rattled about the continuous questions.

 

If Carroll was getting the service he'd been getting when he was here, I have no doubt Liverpool would be up there challenging with Spurs and that CL football would be a distinct possiblity.

 

What I find incredulous is that both Carroll and Downing are berated by their fansyet Henderson seems to escape criticism totally. His form has been as bad, if not worse IMO.

[Kevin S. Assilleekunt 1]

Carroll has never proven he is a deadly PL level striker, he scored regularly over half a season in the PL and that's about it. Perhaps it was a hot streak in a career that will never amount to much due his lack of professionalism and focus.

[Dr Gloom 22176]

Fucking hilarious that 35m was pledged on the back of half a season. I still think Carroll will come good, just not at Liverpool as long a they don't get crosses in the box. He's quite a simple style of player to utilise - get some balls into the box for him to attack. Don't expect him be working the channels or getting in behind - he's just not that sort of player.

 

Can see him still making an impact at another club or under another manager at Liverpool. I think they'll cut their losses with him though. He's never been anywhere near a 35m player.

[DEADMAN 0]

yea but carroll is only good with his head from what i have seen i havent seen him thump huge goals outside the box eh eh eh lol

[trophyshy 7084]

yea but carroll is only good with his head from what i have seen i havent seen him thump huge goals outside the box eh eh eh lol

 

http://vodpod.com/watch/5103266-andy-carroll-v-liverpool

[Kid Dynamite 7179]

Let's be honest, Barton putting in the crosses and Nolan getting on the knock downs went a long way to getting us promoted. Those 3 knew how to play with each other. Gerrard and Bellamy could do the same if they weren't glory seeking cunts only interested in their own performances