Topic: Liverpool 0-2 West Brom - Round Table

[yes]

Listen, it's getting boring. It's not even March. It's his first season.

You'll never walk alone indeed.

Roy Hodgson sees the irony in this.

[Melbred]

Roy Hodgson sees the irony in this.

You're thick if you think the circumstances are anything alike. Roy never respected the club, players or the supporters.

[b_joseph]

I have not celebrated a single quality win all season, it's 13th of Feb. This is Liverpool Football Club.

What constitutes as a quality win? Because I've seen plenty of quality performances that have been wins this year.

[amoh]

7th; 6th; 8; currently 9th, with the best we can hope for probably being 6th.  People can produce as many heatmaps, dashboards and performance charts as they wish to convince themselves we're not far off greatness.  But, the harsh reality is, this team, for a multitude of reasons, has been nothing but average for four seasons now.  Results like these have been the norm - however annoying that is.

[Vulmea]

in Benitez's first season we played two of the worst games I've ever witnessed - we failed time and time again and then he built a fantastic side, and then improved it

under Kenny we sailed through the first 6 months with a fantastic points tally and 12 months later we were a shambles in the league and in two cup finals with no discernable style of play

under Hodgson we were a disaster on all fronts - yet the same man transformed WBA into a solid team  from nothing

Liverpool is perhaps the toughest gig in the league - high expectations with not so great resources

Rodgers deserves time - he's attempting to develop a style of football which goes beyond what Clarke has delivered at West Brom or Moyes at Everton- its a style played by a team with the pressure of forcing the game - a style which favourites can play rather than underdogs - he is without doubt looking at his squad trying their different talents and roles and capabilities - he's hopefully testing their mentality, their reaction under pressure - he's learning how to motivate them as a group - individually

Swansea can play without any expectation - Laudrup has no pressure on him to succeed , his players rarely if ever have to worry about teams worrying about them, planning to nullify their game plan - they can finish 19th and be successful - Rodgers had that luxury last season he's learning fast he doesn't have it this season - he's got better players and greater expectations

We are, where we are - we need to support Rodgers - we need to support our players - but its not about blind faith - we dont have a balanced squad despite Ayres bizarre statement that we have the best in the league - we dont have the players Rodgers needs for his plan to work - again to me its a mistake to try and play a system without the players to support it - its a gamble that Rodgers cannot know will work that somehow this provides benefits down the line - when most of those players have moved on - but thats what we've done

 - Clark et al have gone with systems that they have the players to deliver that gives them an advantage - Rodgers gamble is that we gain a longer term advantage - thankfully he will be given the time to find out

[stockdam]

You're thick if you think the circumstances are anything alike. Roy never respected the club, players or the supporters.

Eh? That's a strange thing to say. I don't think the guy ever did anything but his best. He may not have been your favourite but let's not resort to comments that speculate about his attitude.

[Melbred]

Eh? That's a strange thing to say. I don't think the guy ever did anything but his best. He may not have been your favourite but let's not resort to comments that speculate about his attitude.

It really isn't that strange at all.

http://www.lfchistory.net/Articles/Article/3279

[Kop10]

Indeed.

After four managers in four years, and subsequently four mid table finishes it seems some people have the taste for blood again as they search for the miracle worker.

How does a missed penalty lead to so many questions being asked about the manager and his tactics.

Don't be silly.

I actually don't want Brendan sacked. I can guarantee you that now. Not because I think he's the right man but because I think the club needs maximum stability now, for better or for worse. What does it say about the situation though that when we talk about the facts of our season so far, without filtering it through the distiller of the big project, the atmosphere gets thick in here?

Don't hate me, it's not my fault. It's an insult to Rodgers that we are not assessing him by the same standards that we've been assessing other Liverpool managers. If Rodgers never gave one interview about his project, you'd be lamenting here with me. Well, I don't see the feasibility of the project, So to me the results so far are appalling.

It doesn't make you a better Liverpool fan than myself that you're more open-minded, neither does it mean that I'm a knee-jerker. It just means some of us are wired differently. This squad as it is is underachieving mega-massively. To PoP saying Rodgers doesn't have a good enough squad, then why did he say that even 2nd was possible at one stage of the season. Even he has had to revise his own competencies.

I promise you now this is my last post on RAWK. A lot of us are not big enough to handle uncomfortable truths.

[stockdam]

It really isn't that strange at all.

http://www.lfchistory.net/Articles/Article/3279

I read about half way down and couldn't see any comments that supported what you said. Anyway I know enough about the guy to be puzzled at your comments. I can't see why you think he disrespected anyone.

[Melbred]

I read about half way down and couldn't see any comments that supported what you said. Anyway I know enough about the guy to be puzzled at your comments. I can't see why you think he disrespected anyone.

You might want to keep reading.

But you claim to know better, that's your prerogative.

[stockdam]

You might want to keep reading.

But you claim to know better, that's your prerogative.

I don't claim anything other than what I saw and heard.

[Melbred]

I don't claim anything other than what I saw and heard.

Well the evidence is there for you to read. If you feel differently, that's your choice. But frankly it's damning, and I still remember feeling enraged by his comments at the time.

[woof]

Three steps forward and two steps back.

Brendan Rodgers needs to learn from the loss against WBA. Tactically, there was nothing wrong. Where he got wrong was to start players who were coming back from international duties. Fatigue was an important factor here. Because of it, we lacked the crispness and cutting edge in our passing, which is what the Liverpool team is built on. He should have not started Gerrard, Johnson and Suarez... all whom played in meaningless international friendlies.

We need a back up team who can still play Rodgers' style of football and perhaps get a positive result.

[John C]

If we really, really, really and truly want as close to a guarantee of trophies as you can get, then at the end of the season FSG have to move mountains to get Mourinho in as the manager. Not Klopp, not Rafa, not Ancelotti, not Hiddink. Mourinho. The football won't be pretty, the defence will be brilliant, and the press will love us. But he'll be gone in 2-3 years, and we'll be left back where we are now, wondering what the next five years will be like,

That's the spookiest thing I've read on here for for years mate and I'm inclined to put it in the weird stories thread, particularly due to the time of your post.

Watching the match with my lad tonight, he asked me at about 9.15 knowing how much I admire Mourinho,  "if you were certain of getting Mourinho would you be prepared to see Rodgers sacked in the summer"? I only hesitated, to even my own surprise for a second before I said to his astonishment "well no, where would we be it if didn't work immediately and / or he leaves anyway in 2 years, we need a bit of a project".

You were writing what I was saying mate.

[Torpedo Tommy]

Disappointed.

Not just that we lost - though that obviously disappointed - but the manner we lost in.  It was a complete throw back to early this season and most of last.  Plenty of possession - some decent chances - concede two chances and end up losing a game 2-0 that we should have comfortably won.

The reality is however that like early in the season, the chances created did not relate to the percentage possession.  We must have had 60% again but once again, we failed to have runners running in the right areas at right time.  Players held on to the ball far too long and some just didn't really get in the game.  The ball moved too slowly and the movement was so much more poorer than some of the stuff we saw at the Etihad.

The game just shows how shallow our squad depth is.  The loss of Sturridge meant Luis was once again ploughing a lonely furrow on his own as Shelvey struggled badly.

The manager must take responsibility for some of the decisions but those drawing comparisons with Roy Hodgson's efforts really need to get themselves down to Specsavers.

Expecting a positive reaction for the Swansea game which now becomes important for different reasons after grabbing only 2 points from the last 9.

[redbyrdz]

Bit late to post in this thread, seems to have moved on, but anyway...


There seems to be a rule in football that if you dominate the game but fail to take your chances, the opposition will score and walk away with the three points. Monday was one of those matches.

After Shelvey's early goal had been ruled out I had this feeling that we wouldn't score again. We dominated, but our passing in the final third was awful, and we created little clear cut chances. A couple of players had an off day, Johnson had a shocker, and the attack with Shelvey in it didn't play well together.

West Brom set out to frustrate us, very defensive line-up, including plenty of time wasting and attempts to wind us up. It worked. We couldn't score and became more erratic, until Rodgers went with plan B, sacrificed the midfield and threw strikers on. (Seems more like a united tactic than a Barca one to me, but apparently we're developing a tiki-taka style.). Shelvey's substitution was obvious, but there were groans on the Kop when Henderson went off too (remember when there were groans when he used to come on?) With a midfield of Lucas, Gerrard and Suarez, patient build-up wasn't going to happen anymore, especially as both fullbacks (who could've provided width) had trouble controlling the ball.

Suarez got a pen, but the party lasted only seconds, if that - Gerrard stepped up and I had wild dreams of the Kop returning to its best days, sucking the ball into the net. I couldn't see it though, and Gerrards shot was weak and saved. From then on you feared West Brom would score, and obviously they did. With a weak midfield and us desperate for a goal, Clarke put the striker on that was they type to cause us trouble: strong and direct. We got caught upfield, in yet another 'hopeful' attack that dwindled somewhere in front of the box, Lukaku breaks and is just too strong for Agger. Game over.



Enjoyed the half-time entertainment though. Still wonder if Fowler hit the post on purpose.

[Mutton Geoff]

That's the spookiest thing I've read on here for for years mate and I'm inclined to put it in the weird stories thread, particularly due to the time of your post.

Watching the match with my lad tonight, he asked me at about 9.15 knowing how much I admire Mourinho,  "if you were certain of getting Mourinho would you be prepared to see Rodgers sacked in the summer"? I only hesitated, to even my own surprise for a second before I said to his astonishment "well no, where would we be it if didn't work immediately and / or he leaves anyway in 2 years, we need a bit of a project".

You were writing what I was saying mate.

Jose as a DOF to Brendan might be fun but he won't come here he only follows the money.

[Carlos: Very Kickable]

PhaseofPlay - I'd echo the comments above about your posts - i've found them vastly informative and it's clear that you, like Rodgers, are a disciple of cutting edge football techniques.

My worry with Rodgers though is that he is too bound into the philosophy to acknowledge its errors.

After all, new techniques, tactics and stratgies in the 50's were found to be outdated and with inherent weaknesses over the next 20 years. The same thing happened in 60's, 70's, 80's and so on.

So my question is - do you think we will look back in 20 years at anything Rodgers is trying to coach into our team now and regret or are you 100% behind everything that is written in the coaching manuals?

Jose as a DOF to Brendan might be fun but he won't come here he only follows the money.

Are you whooshing everyone?

DOF means staying in the background, having a long term relationship with a club which is consistent with it's footballing vision and having a good eye for value players.

[Corkboy]

Mourinho? Really?

I would take just about anyone before that classless lying drama queen shitbag. Winning isn't that important.

[Alonso_The_Assassin]

I've pondered all that mate, and I understand that line of thinking, but neither Lucas, Gerrard nor Suarez were having good nights. Henderson and Downing were having better games, and both were removed.

I think taking Henderson off was the easy way out, a less glamorous name. Time after time, when Henderson isn't on the field, we fall apart, and it happened again last night.

I'd agree, mate. Since Henderson's been drafted into the starting line-up, we've been a different team.

If Skrtel has been dropped because of poor form, do we start the next game with Carragher and Sama at centre back? In all seriousness, Agger was at fault yet again tonight. Are his mistakes born more from a fault in the system, or is it just pure sloppiness on his part?

Personally, I think Skrtel has made less mistakes than Agger this season. Still, when they were paired we still had one of the best defences in the leage, statisically.

Agger can't be dropped though. Skrtel and Carragher in the middle is a disaster waiting to happen and as harsh as it sounds Agger and Skrtel need to be the pairing, form or not. If we keep chopping and changing we won't crack the 55 point mark, which will be - quite frankly - a shambles.

As good as Carra's played, I believe the chemistry's been tinkered with and not for the better.

What the hell happened to Glen Johnson, and was tonight the real Jose Enrique, or just a bad game?

Johson's end product is a real worry for me. Tries to be too flashy. Get it in the box FFS. We know you can be world class. He needs to be more consistent. I really like the lad but he can't half be frustrating. Monday was his worst game for us. Quite frankly, he was shocking. Enrique not much better, but people are forgetting, he is coming back from an injury that was meant to keep him out for 6 weeks.

Gerrard and Lucas looked extremely sluggish tonight - a consequence of the Brazil game on Wednesday perhaps? Lucas still looks off to me too, and you do start to wonder whether he'll ever be the same player again.

Lucas will take time, I personally don't see him getting back to maximum performance until next season. Still, we're a better side with him in it. End of.

Gerrard. One of those nights. Blame it on internationals, it's really no different to going to Europe at club level mid-week. Whatever the reason, he's been great for us this last two months. He'll bounce back.

Was Shelvey's performance due to a lack of game time, or a general problem with his game, or both? You can see the potential in him, but there is so many ragged edges on him still. He often got in the way of others tonight, and he was slack off the ball too.

Lacks game intelligence for me. Some have a football brain and some work off pragmatism. The world class players have both. Shevely's a pragmatist and when you're down on form you can come off second best. This may be because of his lack of game time, but even still, he had a chance to prove himself and let himself down. He's only young and needs to be patient. Has he a future with us?  Hard to say, I think it could go either way, to be honest.

Downing MOTM. After taking a lot of criticism during his time here, a bit of praise due surely?

Had a great game. Pleased with his form. Needs a few goals but if he continues this form they will come.

Given how much he struggled to get into the game, can we rely on Borini as a replacement for Sturridge when he's not available, or do we have to change things around like we did tonight?

See Lucas. The lad's had a serious injury. Doesn't help when the crowd's on his back from the get go. I honestly think he needed to start in place of Shelvey. Given the pressure and the anxiety surrounding the game prior to his introduction, it's hard for a player in Fabio's situation at the moment.

[reds88]

is there another fear that we invest 5 years and the lad isn't up to it and we lose our status. our pulling power, our top players and drift further into mediocrity ? that he knows the theory but doesn't understand the practice or how to implement it or that his ideas simply dont work ?

sometimes on here it sounds like see no evil hear no evil speak no evil - we need a grown up conversation about BR

he's been selected from a clutch of shiny new coaches by people who, lets be honest, have no understanding of football and placed in a job which on paper he has no outstanding qualifications for
- he has no track record of success  and no experience of this type of high profile role - we've already seen him make mistakes in many different facets of management - PR, team selection, tactics, motivation, transfers - he has a really tough job - he has to achieve more with less - he's had to replace a club legend and compete with the skill and reputation of a CL winning manager - he's starting out from a lower league position than and against better quality competition  (relatively) than any Liverpool manager in my lifetime - he has a fan base far less patient than any in my lifetime.  in an age of media scutiny far more critical than any previously

I hope the lad is the real deal but he makes it hard to believe it - he's not convinced me yet because so far we've acheived less than the sum of our parts and he's at least partly responsible for that and the parts we do have

 we gave up on Monday and he came out and said the players were terrific, he speaks in hyperbole, management speak and cliche - it gives the impression he's an empty book and yet I have a feel that he's a genuine lad - he's just trying too hard to convince people he's the real deal - I hope he makes it work for all of our sakes but he we need to see some type of consistent improvement from him and us

My thoughts exactly. 

[Melbred]

Well said mate.

[exiledinyorkshire]

Phase of play. You sir are a legend.

[Vulmea]

enjoyed that more than your diagrams ............and I'm not saying your diagrams are bad

[exiledinyorkshire]

I still havent gotten over my rage from Monday, i'm still shaking my head this morning.

I can take defeat, i've seen some of our best teams lose, but i cant take lack of effort. Many might disagree but i thought we lacked effort all over the park on monday. We were slow, ponderous, indecisive - we lacked leaders on the pitch and our mental state was weak.

I'm beginning to think theres no way back for us, and thats as pessimistic as i have ever been. Rodgers has done well, but hes inexperienced and can only do so much. Our owners are not football men, neither is anyone on the board.

Our players for years have lacked the drive needed to be successful. Monday was more than just a blip , it was a kick in the teeth. We should be better than that, but we arnt, and we arnt because we dont have the right attitude to succeed. We can do it for a few games, but it always comes back.

West Brom offered nothing, they were disciplined sure, but beyond that? Utter average. yet they comfortably won 2-0 in the, 2-0. I still cant beleive it now.

And then you look at some of our players - how can a quality defender like Agger not do the basics of being a defender? That stuff should come natural to a professional. How come Stevie cant kick a decent pen from 12 yards? It was a shocker of an effort. How come Glen Johnson can not control a 5 yard pass? and he did it multiple times. Why couldnt Brendan Rodgers see that Shelvey just didnt work? Why cant he be more flexible with what he has to work with?

Footy is so simple, you do the basics right and your 60% there, but every few games we dont do that, and for professional footballers, guys paid to kick a ball around and learn every day of the week is unforgivable in my eyes.

Cant help but be really cutting into this team but they bloody deserve it, every single one of them.

I had an interesting chat with my lads teacher today.

My wife made us go to the school after an incident last week which had her pulling her hair out. He is six and in year two, but isn't using capitals when he should be. Right she says to him why aren't you doing a capital J there. Don't know how to do one he says can't remember. So now he is made to write out the alphabet in capitals one by one, and fucking hell he can't do hardly any of them. Fuck it she says he knew his capitals this time last year, the silly little fucker is going backwards. We're going up the school she says.

Now we have both been away a lot recently with work, if I'm home she's off and vice versa, she feels terribly guilty that he's not getting the help he needs and that we are missing so much quality time with him.

So today were in the office, she tells his teacher all about it and asks how's he doing cause he looks like he's going backwards from where we are standing.

And do you know what, he's been making astonishing progress. That's right he is flat out developing so fast that she actually now has him two to three points ahead of where he needs to be when he was one point behind. Turns out that when kids accelerate there learning they often get a bit shakes with the things that they are supposed to know already.

Well I put him to bed to night, I haven't for a while and I took the time to sit with him and look at a book. He chose a book about Romans , a proper text book about Romans. Read a whole chapter to me working out words like aqueduct and ampitheatre ( I shit you not), and we had some strange chats about what the Romans got up to. Different kid to the one I remember from before Xmas.

So what am I taking from this heart warming story of a 6 year old learning to read and comprehend stating to be able to actually think about what he's reading rather than struggling to read it, and more to the point how in gods name does it relate to your post mr walshy ?

Well in accelerated periods of learning sometimes basics can go out the window you can get ahed of yourself. Bit tenuous maybe, but I just wanted to share my pride in my child to be honest. And he scored his first goal on Sunday too. So there you go.

[garcia-alonso]

Absolutely fantastic post Phase of Play.

[Nosss]

The best post I've seen on RAWK for some time. Thank you for that.

[professorj]

Wow. What a post. I salute you

[LiamG]

Wow! That has got to be the best post i have read on here for a very long time, If only we could just sticky that post at the top of this forum and let some fans read it

[garcia-alonso]

Wow! That has got to be the best post i have read on here for a very long time, If only we could just sticky that post at the top of this forum and let some fans read it

Should be printed off and handed out at Anfield!

[Alonso_The_Assassin]

Great post, POP. Spot on.

[keyo]

For me it's the players who have been mainly at fault, and not just under Rodgers reign. The mental weakness in the squad is not something new but something that has plagued us for a few seasons now. This is the main challenge for Rodgers. If a club legend in Kenny wasn't able to get the players playing in the right mentality, it just shows you the task Rodgers has ahead of him.

If we're lose faith now though,  just to continue our search for the holy grail of managers, we'll have to start all over again. And it's then that we'll truly silde further back into mediocrity.

Funny thing is, Gerrard's penalty goes in, and we're all talking about a hard fought, gritty win against a banana skin side.

the big issue here is really about the players.....we obviously debate the players alot, but usually in reference to each other, occasionally comparing to other teams, but rarely with any realism

we have good players, and we can cobble together a good team.......but where we have been able to say in the past that we could pick a team that can at least be considered as good as those in the top four, we no longer can......we do not have players that collectively make a team any better then any of those above us challenging for top 4, and certainly nowhere near as good as city, united and probably chelsea, with tottenham and arsenal still looking better than us.......after that we then have a squad that is inexperienced, which at the moment makes it difficult for us to compete.....but this should provide a solid base to build on, allowing us to improve our squad initially by improving the players in it

and this is where rodgers needs to earn his corn......he needs to improve the players in the squad, and then he needs to make them a unit that can be effective.....and he also needs to then add players of value......not an easy job all up, eh?

[itsgunnabebarnes!]

Fundamentally we gift goals to teams through errors and don't make the most of our attacks. That ain't playing well, and when it happens so often you have to question wether we are indeed moving forward.

[unusg]

Right

calmed down enough after Monday night.

Firstly, we should have won, enough chances to do so but as with the result last year a sloppy defensive mistake and we end up losing. I thought the team were sluggish and some did look tired so a couple of changes to the formation would have been obvious but when you look at he bench and the squad would they have really made any improvement? i dont think so.

Secondly, this nonsense around Rodgers and his failings as a coach. Come on Folks. Reality check. We are the model of inconsistency as a club: 3 owners in 4 years, 4 managers in 4 years, i've lost count of the turnover of players in the last three years as the deadwood has been cleared out and new players brought in. In fact the only thing that has been consistent has been our league position 7th, 6th, 8th and now 9th.

so lets have a true appraisal of where we are. A big club with a proud history that hasnt won anything of significance since 2006 (forget the league cup), short of enough cash to compete with the big four and uncertain of its future direction.

Once you accept that reality, however grudging and painful it may be, then you can start to look with a bit more clarity that we are not in for a quick fix and some distance from getting into the top four.

Do i expect us to get into the top four next year? probably not unless the current crop of youngsters improve and start to make a mark or we find a fdew gems (like Michu) on the cheap who make a real difference. What i do expect is season on season improvement and a real push to compete for a place.

This is not blind acceptance of our fate as a mediocre mid table club but acknowledging where we are and that there will be setbacks along the way. The next game that comes along is always a chance to make a new start and have another go at winning. Thats what teams and there fans do.

bollocks. i'm pissed off again.

[Funky_Gibbons]

Don't be silly.

I actually don't want Brendan sacked. I can guarantee you that now. Not because I think he's the right man but because I think the club needs maximum stability now, for better or for worse. What does it say about the situation though that when we talk about the facts of our season so far, without filtering it through the distiller of the big project, the atmosphere gets thick in here?

Don't hate me, it's not my fault. It's an insult to Rodgers that we are not assessing him by the same standards that we've been assessing other Liverpool managers. If Rodgers never gave one interview about his project, you'd be lamenting here with me. Well, I don't see the feasibility of the project, So to me the results so far are appalling.

It doesn't make you a better Liverpool fan than myself that you're more open-minded, neither does it mean that I'm a knee-jerker. It just means some of us are wired differently. This squad as it is is underachieving mega-massively. To PoP saying Rodgers doesn't have a good enough squad, then why did he say that even 2nd was possible at one stage of the season. Even he has had to revise his own competencies.

I promise you now this is my last post on RAWK. A lot of us are not big enough to handle uncomfortable truths.

Considering I never mentioned you in my post, or replied to one of your posts, I find it interesting that you reply to my post protesting your innocence. Paranoid much?

I think PoP said it better than I ever could:

We don't have those fans anymore. We have some of them. Others want everything to be instant, successful, and if it's not, dump the man in charge and move on. They won't say this overtly, but it drips from every sentence they type in pseudo-realism. And for me that's a shame.

[sideshowme]

The best post I've seen on RAWK for some time. Thank you for that.

am i the only one who felt the urge to sing "we didn't start the fire..." about halfway through?

excellent stuff though.

[No666]

PoP - I've been losing the will to post properly in here over the last few months. I'm glad you haven't.

[norbert]

Read a lot of this with interest. Hope you don't mind an old Spurs fan having his two bobs worth. I watch a lot of football, as virtually every major game is on live or delayed In Australia. I saw most of your last 3 league games. My impression was that Arsenal had the bulk of their game but nervous, poor defending put them in the mire. In spite of that they got back into the game and overall they played the best football. Given that you found yourselves 2-0 up, it was not a good outcome.

City have looked jaded recently and the absence of key players contributed to a very poor performance, but once again you blew the lead. They got their main players back against Soton but got the run around, which puts your performance in perspective.

WBA had a point to prove, after all the recent drama in baggie - land. If you watch the game again, they actually had some decent spells without creating opportunities. Around the 20 to 25 mnute mark they come close (twice) to creating great chances. They may be inferior to you, but they had a plan, and it worked. You got a pen (which was a joke) but still blew it. Now I am reading about players being tired after playing for England. You played on Monday night, most of the Spurs side involved in the early kick-off on Saturday did not get back until Friday. Dempsey played close to 90 mins after flying back from Honduras. It could just be that whatever Rodgers is doing is not working. They are good players, Suarez and Gerrard are brilliant, but when they are not at their best the side looks disjointed.

I don't claim to have any answers and I might be talking rubbish, but one way or the other there is something not right.

[Mutton Geoff]

For as long as our players completely forget the basics in this simple game people will ask questions of the manager coaching them, we asked them of every manager, we did it with Shanks after Watford, every manager rightly or wrongly is judged on matters out of his hands like player A hitting the post. However when you see such poor defending in the same areas week after week i feel it is valid for any fan to ask why is this happening?

Remember a wise old Manager said "once they cross that white line i cannot do anything about it", mind you he didnt have the luxury of 3 subs then.

By the way asking questions of Rodgers is not heresey its not lets get rid of him moment or wish, its why doesnt he fix this glaring problem that any poor little uneducated fan in the nuances of modern football can see clearly week after week. what is perhaps lacking on the training ground that our CB's can no longer defend balls in the box or any speedy counter attacks these days!

[L666KOP]

By the way asking questions of Rodgers is not heresey its not lets get rid of him moment or wish, its why doesnt he fix this glaring problem that any poor little uneducated fan in the nuances of modern football can see clearly week after week. what is perhaps lacking on the training ground that our CB's can no longer defend balls in the box or any speedy counter attacks these days!

The errors, as a rule are made by the 'defensive' unit, which means our CB pairing, and GK.
Is this a problem caused in part by our FB's being pushed on so far? If Martin, or Daniel have the ball the opposition needs only to pressure our fullbacks, who are generally a lot higher up, to create a real dilemma, one half decent mobile striker targets the CB's and we look very, very nervous, and instead of looking for row Z, we look as if we've been told it's no longer an option.