Topic: Jermaine Pennant

[mjgill85]

He keeps slipping over. Does my head in. If you're wearing blades, switch to studs. If you're wearing studs, switch to blades. If you're wearing neither.....well that's your problem.

[RedSandgrounder]

1 League Game. 1 Assist.

Not bad considering the manager had lost faith in him, and he was being forced out in the summer.

Gives us another option, with him on the right, Riera the left, we have two genuine wingers, plus with the UEFA quotas and stuff, he is a decent player to have about. At 25 he has till now and the end of the year to make a point to Rafa, or he'll be sacked off, probably to be replaced with Kuba.

I'm willing to give him a shot.

[mjgill85]

I'm willing to give him a shot.

So's his dad

[Barney_Rubble]

What's the longest run of games he's had since he's been here, anyone know? Bet it's not more than about 5, if that.

[Fellaini]

I think the stat about 79 games is relevant. Regardless of how many goals he's scored, how many of those 79 has he had a substantial impact on the game? Not many. I've nothing against the lad but he's had enough chances and we must be aiming for a much, much better player to play for Liverpool FC.

[Barnes & Beardsley]

What's the longest run of games he's had since he's been here, anyone know? Bet it's not more than about 5, if that.

He’s only started more than 3 straight leagues games once and that was at the beginning of last season (8 games). He then got injured in the middle of October.

[Barney_Rubble]

Thanks.

Sure that's a big part of it.

[shuaib_no9]

I dont know why our fans are critising JP! The lad is one of us, he supported Liverpool as a kid so you can assure he is trying his best. I think he has alot of talent, given games he will come good. You've heard what all his team mates say about him, especially Crouch who used to say playing with JP is a strikers dream!

[Ecuared]

I think a lot of people have unrealistic expectations of him. Let's face it, he will never be a top winger, not to even mention world class. Not many players these days can just take on defenders at will, and while JP can at times, we can't realistically excpect him to skin his marker game in game out, it just won't happen. Players who can do that cost three or four times what JP did.

He puts in an honest shift for us, but will never be the guy to take our play to the next level. As a squad player, I think he has a niche in games when we need a late goal and decide to pack the box and pop in crosses, as he's a much better option than Carra or Xabi hoofing them in from deep. Also he is accustomed to our system and if he needs to play a few games due to injuries or suspensions he can do a job. He is a poor tackler, but he does actually put in a fair amount of effort in trying to defend, it's just not one of his strong points.

At the moment Rafa has to sell to buy, and if he doesn't feel like he can replace JP with someone better at the same price he won't be moving him on, so I suggest we be realistic in our expectations of the lad, and that those who slag him off do it on here or in the pub, but not at Anfield, we must support all of our players during the match.

Let's hope El Zhar can make JP irrelevant and then we can sell him and reinvest in our squad when the moment comes.

[Gee, Stevie]

To sum up my amateur armchair assessment of Jermaine, he was disappointing for the first half of the 06 season then started to come into his own and looked quite promising. Played well against Chelsea and Arsenal and was undeniably our best player in Athens. He had a respectable amount of assists in the end. He started the 07 season well then got injured and never really got a look-in when he returned. He’s only started about 7 games after his injury and when he has, he’s contributed. I agree that he can be a frustrating player to watch at times and that he’s had some stinkers, but then again I sometimes get frustrated with Yossi, Ryan, Dirk and Xabi.

I feel that it is too easy to criticise Pennant and that it is accepted by the majority and that people aren’t pulled up about it unlike when others are criticised. Another thing I noticed is that the “101 excuses and mitigating circumstances” handbook isn’t brought out when discussing Jermaine, although it frequently gets used when talking about other players and other issues surrounding our team.

Agree with a lot fo that and hope he is available as another option to give us width and variation in attack on the right.

I, however, do deny that he was our best player in Athens.  What came of all the possession and opportunities he had on the ball?

I got the feeling Jankulovski & the Milan defence were quite happy to have Pennant on the ball as opposed to someone who looked dangerous on the night.  For me, Masch was probably our best on the night, although my memory fades.

[Lady_brandybuck]

To sum up my amateur armchair assessment of Jermaine, he was disappointing for the first half of the 06 season then started to come into his own and looked quite promising. Played well against Chelsea and Arsenal and was undeniably our best player in Athens. He had a respectable amount of assists in the end. He started the 07 season well then got injured and never really got a look-in when he returned. He’s only started about 7 games after his injury and when he has, he’s contributed. I agree that he can be a frustrating player to watch at times and that he’s had some stinkers, but then again I sometimes get frustrated with Yossi, Ryan, Dirk and Xabi.

I feel that it is too easy to criticise Pennant and that it is accepted by the majority and that people aren’t pulled up about it unlike when others are criticised. Another thing I noticed is that the “101 excuses and mitigating circumstances” handbook isn’t brought out when discussing Jermaine, although it frequently gets used when talking about other players and other issues surrounding our team.

Spot on...

He is a good skwaad player, and is a better option in the right than Dirk (crossing) but he hasn't been regular since his long term injury last season. He need a good run in the team and will improve.

I know he won't be a world class winger, but he could do the job on the right if he get more games.

He and Masche we're our best players in Athens

[RPK]

1st game back.
told hes not needed at the club.
fans on his back.
And he still plays well, creating some great goal scoring opportunity's, plus he created the winning goal.
Not bad J.P. Well done lad.

Bang on!

Don't know why people compare every player to Ronaldo - Pennant's a decent squad player who has a remarkably good attitude considering he's at a club with a manager who has made it clear he doesn't fancy him.   

Loyalty works both ways - he refused to go to Stoke and decided to stay and fight for his place - fair play.  A little respect is due for that, I think.  Fans are quick enough to jump on somebody for leaving (Owen?), but often show none ourselves.   

When he does play, which isn't often, he generally looks lively and puts a bit of effort into it.  You can't criticise him for being "not good enough" - he does his best and that's all anyone can ask. The "he's not good enough" stuff should be in the Rafa thread - he signed him and picks the team.

Come the end of the season if we win the title by a couple of points his contribution will have been important even if we don't see him again this season.

[DaveCharlie]

Bang on!

Don't know why people compare every player to Ronaldo - Pennant's a decent squad player who has a remarkably good attitude considering he's at a club with a manager who has made it clear he doesn't fancy him.  

Loyalty works both ways - he refused to go to Stoke and decided to stay and fight for his place - fair play.  A little respect is due for that, I think.  Fans are quick enough to jump on somebody for leaving (Owen?), but often show none ourselves.  

When he does play, which isn't often, he generally looks lively and puts a bit of effort into it.  You can't criticise him for being "not good enough" - he does his best and that's all anyone can ask. The "he's not good enough" stuff should be in the Rafa thread - he signed him and picks the team.

Come the end of the season if we win the title by a couple of points his contribution will have been important even if we don't see him again this season.

Good post, how quickly people forget the good form he was in before his inury last year - perhaps he's just coming back to that form now on the training ground and Rafa/injuries have given him an opportunity to replicate it on the pitch. As someone said earlier, 1 appearance, 1 matchwinning assist - what more can you ask for? If nothing else its a good appearance in the shop window, but if we are serious about challenging on all fronts this year - its players like JP that really do need to be available for Rafa to call on if required.

[Barnes & Beardsley]

Agree with a lot fo that and hope he is available as another option to give us width and variation in attack on the right.

I, however, do deny that he was our best player in Athens.  What came of all the possession and opportunities he had on the ball?

I got the feeling Jankulovski & the Milan defence were quite happy to have Pennant on the ball as opposed to someone who looked dangerous on the night.  For me, Masch was probably our best on the night, although my memory fades.

From what I remember, in the first half he had the only shot on target which was saved by Dida after a 1-2 with Kuyt. By on target I mean where the keeper had to make a save. I know Kuyt had a shot which was blocked by a wall of defenders so I guess I should also include that.

- Great cross for Gerrard whose shot went over the bar.
- Great run beating a couple of players before laying it off to Riise whose shot also went over the bar.
-  Good interception, run and pass to Gerrard who then knocked it to Kuyt for his blocked shot.
- Linked up well with Finnan and also did his work tracking back.
- Gave Jankulovski a hard time throughout the game, kept possession and passed the ball well.
- It was also Pennant’s corner, headed by Agger to Kuyt who scored in the last few minutes.

The only bad thing I would say about his performance was his pass to Gerrard in the first 10 minutes who tried to volley it with his left foot and missed the ball. It should have been rolled on the ground instead of in the air or he should have crossed to Riise who was also in a good position with space.

I agree that Masch also had a great game; especially those two great tackles on Kaka and Pepe did well and looked comfortable when tested. Gerrard did his best to try and get things going playing behind Kuyt, especially in the second half and should have scored at least two.

[Fat Scouser]

Best right sided player we have

Can beat his man with ease

Oh how I love to start my day with a chuckle.

[Cloggs]

It's been done to death.

I agree he is a bit of a scape goat, but the way I see it that when it comes to our starting 11, he doesn't even make the bench, I personally would have preferred (in hindsight) El Zhar on the Right or Benayoun.

He's a really good player when he wants to be is Jermaine, he just hardly ever does. He will have to do something drastic to turn around his Liverpool Career, because he isn't a bad lad I know people who have met him and apparently he's a nice guy.

It's just we have players who are arguably more consistant than him, which is a shame really because he does have class, it's just as I said, he hardly ever shows it.

Where Pennant has gone wrong is when he opted to be superstar in stead of becoming one. I remember seeing him play a match for the England U-18's once (granted it was on Eurosport...) and he spent most of the time out on the right taking on players. Maybe he could have passed and crossed sooner but the point is that he had no trouble what so ever beating his marker. And then a few more.

But then he started to believe his own hype and felt people, Wenger, owed him something. He stopped earning his place on the bench and started to expect a place on the pitch. And then he did another few stupid things.

All of that stuff stopped him from developing his game and now he's a winger who's not really very good at anything a winger should be able to do. He's not fast, he finds it hard to get past a player and his crossing isn't the greatest either.

Had the foundation. Never built the house. Shame for his club, shame for his country but most of all a shame for him. He'll have more cash than he could have dreamt of but he'll never be remembered at any of the clubs he's played at.

[LFCfan4Life]

I don't mind him as a player but he was poor on Saturday apart from  his cross for the goal

Honestly he was poor? why exactly? because its easy to call him poor because everyone else does? yet created at least a handful of goal scoring chances - fucking shite that

he also played in the cross for the winner, even if he didn't target kuyt he targeted the area where we had 4-5 attackers lined up instead of blindly lashing it across goal

Winger IS a creative role you have to create the goal scoring chances and hold the ball up until the strikers join in the action its not just to get a goal every game!!! if he pulls 2 defenders with him and takes them out of the box to create space for our strikers wtf is he doing so badly?

He keeps slipping over. Does my head in. If you're wearing blades, switch to studs. If you're wearing studs, switch to blades. If you're wearing neither.....well that's your problem.

the reason why him and torres slip quite a bit is because rather than a great speed over a long distance like walcott or clichy they have a really quick turn of pace and get the extra yard straight away but if its wet and slippy they are most likely to go over.

[JanMolby05]

I don't condone the idiots who where getting on his back at the weekend.

Really really disappointed me on Saturday, after all that has gone on I thought Pennant would step up to the plate. Try and make a point. But no, never put his foot in, terrible ball retention, looked like he was on a different planet than some of the other players. Ok, so he has barely played, but this was his chance and he should have run his bollocks into the ground ala Dirky

[todda]

I must admit I like JP, he's a different option for us, he'll never be in Rafa's first 11, with everyone fit, but he gives us more width than Kuyt can by being a 'natural' winger.  Ok his first touch lets him down now and again but, that's mainly due to the fact he's not playing regular. If he was I believe he can be very dangerous.  No defender like players running at them with the ball and getting crosses in.  He does this much better than Kuyt as like I say he's a natural winger.

Rafa will always go with Kuyt though (when Torres is fit) mainly due to his work-rate and strength.

[LFCfan4Life]

he should have run his bollocks into the ground ala Dirky

nah he didn't run his bollocks off 

he just did what a creative winger should do and thats create goal scoring chances but i guess that means hes shit.

and he created more than one its not his fault the guy at the end of it lashed it over the bar or straight at the goalie or across the face of goal

[JanMolby05]

singular plural and all that

[pathetic]

nah he never ran his bollocks off he just did what a creative winger should do and thats create goal scoring chances but i guess that means hes shit.

never got the reason why hes hated and everyone says hes shit to be honest ...ok he had some bad games for us but he also had some good ones and he puts in some good crosses....the problem is noone seems to be there to attack them!! but nonetheless hes a danger to our opposition!

[gnaume]

didn't think he was too bad to be honest. Set up Kuyt's winning goal, put a quality cross in for Riera who should have scored, inside injury time of the first half. He's not world class, bus we just don't have any other options on the right wing

[dannygelboy]

I feel he's a good squad player, and Rafa should use him in the games against the 'lesser' clubs as he seems to shine in those games and it gives our true quality players a rest ahead of big premiership games and Champions league games.

[coffeehead]

I long ago decided there are two Jermaine Pennants playing for us. The one I always see and the one some others here seem to see.

The one I always see is just not good enough and has never done anything really to write home about. I say that based on what I've seen: I've got no reason to dislike the guy, every reason to wish he'd come good and become a valuable player for us but it just hasn't happened

The one some others here see is apparently a really classy player who can beat his man with ease and consistently put in great crosses. I wish I could see that player play, but I always seem to looking the other way when he's on. Weird that innit?

[rocco]

I long ago decided there are two Jermaine Pennants playing for us. The one I always see and the one some others here seem to see.

A:The one I always see is just not good enough and has never done anything really to write home about. I say that based on what I've seen: I've got no reason to dislike the guy, every reason to wish he'd come good and become a valuable player for us but it just hasn't happened

B:The one some others here see is apparently a really classy player who can beat his man with ease and consistently put in great crosses. I wish I could see that player play, but I always seem to looking the other way when he's on. Weird that innit?

A:  80%

B: 20%

[ALECTHERED]

Think its a case of us having to sell players to pay the yanks bills..Unfortunately for Jermaine looks like he will be following Crouchy. Although is debatable whether Crouchy wanted to go

[Cloggs]

All I can say is....Dirk Kuijt outscores and outassists him on the right...

Yes....Dirk....Kuijt....

[GermanCarra90]

I think he was ok on saturday, somehow always when he got the ball I felt somethink could happen now. I think he was good and he can dribble past defenders and that is needed against teams which are here and defend with 10 men. So a good move from Rafa, too. I thought he wanted to make him a LFC reserve player forever??

[LFCfan4Life]

All I can say is....Dirk Kuijt outscores and outassists him on the right...

Yes....Dirk....Kuijt....

i believe it says Kuyt on the back of his jersey

also cause he does he plays down the centre for most of his career and is a striker so goal scoring is his thing

Pennant is a WINGER, yes WINGER just in case your wondering he does what a WINGER does which is hold up the ball and create openings for OTHERS to score a goal. yes we would love him to score more than 3 in his whole time with us but i would love arbeloa and aurelio to have scored just one each the whole time they have been here and don't forget how many riise banged in for us from a full back position and at the end he of last season JP scored what 2 in 3/4 starts?

[LFC when it suits]

Pennat is a good option on the right wing for us. He showed what he can do for us on Saturday setting up the winning goal for Kuyt and putting in some good balls into the box. it's a shame that we are not better at attacking crosses.

Credit to Rafa for bringing him out off the reserves and putting him straight into the first team. The move paid off at the end and got us the 3 points.

[newterp]

I didn’t want to start another thread about Jermaine but I noticed the 16 page one was locked a few weeks ago. Seems a bit unfair considering the majority of our players have a thread and it’s interesting reading the views and how opinions change over the season, but I understand that a lot of shite gets spouted and the mods have no choice in some occasions.

Anyway, I thought he had a good game against Wigan. The first 10 minutes were touch and go and he looked a bit confused and his first touch let him down on a few occasions. After that he settled down and received a lot of the ball. One thing I instantly noticed was his off-ball movement and his runs compared to Kuyt; especially getting in goal scoring positions, but I guess that’s just a natural thing for Kuyt seeing as he is a forward. A great thing with Pennant on the ball on the right is that it enables Riera to drift into the box who seems pretty good with his head; similar to the way Kuyt gets himself in and around the box when Riera is on the ball on the left. It would be good to see Jermaine do the same thing regularly, although he has been improving recently.

Thought he put in some good crosses and some decent corners, although the first was a shocker – the dreaded short corner and it ended with us passing it back to the half way line. The corner in the second half was a peach and Riera should have done better to hit the target. His overall game was good – looked comfortable on the ball, good control, beat players on the inside and outside, put in decent balls and helped track back when we were defending. He is definitely another option for Rafa to use and to be fair to Pennant he has been good in his last 5 or 6 games when he has started. He managed to bag his himself goals against Newcastle and Fulham and getting a few assists against Birmingham, Crewe and Wigan.

To sum up my amateur armchair assessment of Jermaine, he was disappointing for the first half of the 06 season then started to come into his own and looked quite promising. Played well against Chelsea and Arsenal and was undeniably our best player in Athens. He had a respectable amount of assists in the end. He started the 07 season well then got injured and never really got a look-in when he returned. He’s only started about 7 games after his injury and when he has, he’s contributed. I agree that he can be a frustrating player to watch at times and that he’s had some stinkers, but then again I sometimes get frustrated with Yossi, Ryan, Dirk and Xabi.

I feel that it is too easy to criticise Pennant and that it is accepted by the majority and that people aren’t pulled up about it unlike when others are criticised. Another thing I noticed is that the “101 excuses and mitigating circumstances” handbook isn’t brought out when discussing Jermaine, although it frequently gets used when talking about other players and other issues surrounding our team.

you said it - good analysis. 

I'll add this - there are certain posters that have already prejudged him and will never ever given him a fair shake.  The standard responses are this:

1. Not good enough for liverpool - get rid of him.
2. He's shite.
3. I will point out only his negatives and ignore any contribution he made.

Yeah he's not a star or didn't live up to his potential - but he's a valuable quad player that understands the wing role and also has pace. Do I wish he would score more? Of course. But I'm also happy that he's done enough to fight for a place - whether by injury or not.

[redwood32]

1 League Game. 1 Assist.

Not bad considering the manager had lost faith in him, and he was being forced out in the summer.

Gives us another option, with him on the right, Riera the left, we have two genuine wingers, plus with the UEFA quotas and stuff, he is a decent player to have about. At 25 he has till now and the end of the year to make a point to Rafa, or he'll be sacked off, probably to be replaced with Kuba.

I'm willing to give him a shot.

Don't get this "replace him with Kuba" shite that's been mentioned on here before, not in this instance but I saw his name and thought I'd point it out.

People on here are talking about replacing Pennant because he can't score, 79 games and 3 goals.

And then they offer Kuba as the solution? Based on a few youtube clips? Rafa's been keen, supposedly.

Kuba has 82 professional games and 5 league goals. He cuts in a lot more and won't play as wide, but Kuba does look a better player than Pennant. He's far more creative, and has started the season brightly. But is he what we need? If one of the complaints is that Pennant doesn't offer enough in front of goal, surely we shouldn't be replacing him with someone who has a similar record?

[RedSandgrounder]

Don't get this "replace him with Kuba" shite that's been mentioned on here before, not in this instance but I saw his name and thought I'd point it out.

People on here are talking about replacing Pennant because he can't score, 79 games and 3 goals.

And then they offer Kuba as the solution? Based on a few youtube clips? Rafa's been keen, supposedly.

Kuba has 82 professional games and 5 league goals. He cuts in a lot more and won't play as wide, but Kuba does look a better player than Pennant. He's far more creative, and has started the season brightly. But is he what we need? If one of the complaints is that Pennant doesn't offer enough in front of goal, surely we shouldn't be replacing him with someone who has a similar record?

I'm not saying Kuba is the solution, and there are others I'd have above him (Maxi Rodriguez for one, maybe take a chance on a young lad - Alexis Sanchez?, or even just have Anderson, El Zhar or Hammill in Pennant's position, with Kuyt on the right), but Kuba is the one we've been heavily linked with, so I just presume he's the one Rafa wants to bring in.

[sixpackred]

frustrating player is young Jermaine, better pull his socks up soon or he can leave IMO.

[LFC when it suits]

The problem with Pennant has always been consistency. He has had some great performances with us such as the CL Final in Athens which is pretty much the biggest stage you can play on in club football. Also, his last league game before Saturday agaisnt Birmingham was awesome. He needs to produce it with more regularity.

[Mr.Red]

He's certainly better at crosses than Benny.I'd certainly offer him a new contract but sell him only if a #15m bid came in.

[MrGrumpy]

Our other options on the right are to my mind better options.

Kuyt may not be a natural winger but he works he bollocks off and has been among the goals this year.

Benayoun is also a good source of goals and has the footballing brain that Pennant lacks.

With central midfield being our strongest area, there is a good argument for playing Gerrard on the right, likewise Ryan Babel can do a good job there. El Zhar seems to be a good prospect for the future and should be give the right wing berth in League Cup games. Pennant while a good player can not cut it at the highest level.

[k4bir]

SHIT

[Captainlsc]

He stopped his Aston Martin and said "Fxxk Off!" to the kids outside Melwood.

But he is still an acceptable bench player. But don't put him on 1st team if we have other options.

That's all.