Hard to know what to say, as that was a very disappointing performance – probably our worst at home all season. In the past when we have dropped points at home, they have usually not been deserved. On the whole I think we have played some really good football this season, some of the best I have seen in the last 10 or so years. But the problem is we haven’t produced winning football and that is what matters.
I am fully behind Dalglish. I want to see stability at the club and I don’t want to see us chopping and changing our manager every season – I think if anyone deserves patience, time and another season to get it right it is him. Having said that is my heart talking and my head however thinks he has to be accountable for this woeful league position. The cup runs are papering over the cracks for him and that is good in the regard I would hate to be in the position where we did have to sack Dalglish. I think as supporters and a club we give our managers time (Hodgson being an exception), that is something I will give Dalglish, another season to get this right.
It is really frustrating because as I said we have played some very good football on the whole this season, even the 70 minutes at QPR mid-week we saw that. But when things don’t go well they escalate and even two of our best players this season in Skrtel and Enrique are making mistakes in the last two games and that is not what we need. If I had to give the player of the season award now, it would be to Bellamy, as he has been consistently our best player when used this season.
I thought today we looked a right mess in the first half. The players were all over the place and as a result we lacked cohesion and were making numerous mistakes all over the place – our passing was dreadful. The crowd then got moany and groany, the little confidence the players had left and we looked really poor. The annoying thing is Wigan were awful today, not one of their players would get in our team or even squad on paper. I don’t know what Skrtel was doing for their first goal, it was rash and not needed as Moses was never going to generate enough power to beat Pepe with the header. But what was most disappointing was when we had possession, I don’t think the players lacked passion or effort, they clear care – but they were always trying to force things and we could really have done with some composure on the ball, something our side has lost since Alonso left… although I thought Shelvey gave some of that when he came on the pitch, he was finding red shirts with his passes and I think we aren’t making use of this guy who should be used far more IMO.
I have issues with Gerrard, who was awful today, as I don’t know where he should play. If we play him in centre midfield, like today then he isn’t near the oppositions goal enough unless he leaves his position and that leaves Spearing having to do too much and a massive whole in our midfield. If we play high in a free role off Suarez, then where is Suarez going to play as that is where we want Suarez to be surely?! I’m thinking he might be best on the right, as we saw in the last 20 minutes or so today and I think it was the best the team looked all match. It is a problem!
I look at our squad and I still think we are very close to being a very good team. Unfortunately for Dalglish I think the players who are letting us down on the whole are his signings – Henderson, Carroll and Downing today and Adam in other matches. Now today the whole team were poor, bar Flanagan, Shelvey, Sterling and possibly Suarez. But our league position isn’t because of this one match, it is down to several poor results and I think those four players have been disappointing, as has Kuyt and Carragher when used this season.
I might be deluded but I really think we have got a really good spine of players to work with in Reina, Johnson, Kelly, Flanagan, Skrtel, Agger, Coates, Wisdom Enrique, Robinson, Lucas, Spearing, Shelvey, Gerrard, Bellamy, Sterling, Suso and Suarez.
But I think Dalglish has to get tough and ruthless with the other players in the summer as I would release or get rid of Carragher, Maxi, Kuyt, Carroll, Henderson, Aurelio and Downing. Might seem harsh but the club can’t stand still and I think we need to be ruthless if we want to progress and get to where we want to be and we should get some good fees for some of those players that can get us better players for the future – although I think Shelvey, Suso, Stelring and Wisdom are four players who should be in our first team squad, so that four players who have cost nothing but are probably improvements on Carragher (Wisdom), Downing (Sterling), Kuyt (Suso) and Henderson (Shelvey).
We need to be bold, Dalglish needs to be bold and we need to put sentiment to one side and we need to be ruthless… until we are and we cut our losses on these players and are brave enough to tell someone like Carragher that they aren’t in our future then we won’t improve. On the whole the future of the club is really bright, but we have five or six players letting us down and unfortunately we have seen too much of Carragher, Downing, Carroll, Henderson and Adam this season and it has cost us as they aren’t good enough for where we want to be!
In the summer we need to get rid of those players, promote some youth and buy two or three top class players. But are Dalglish and Comolli brave enough to do that? We'll see I guess.
Sterling, Flanagan and Shelvey today proved they are good enough and better than some of the options ahead of them.
