Topic: Liverpool signed Kevin Linford Stewart. People have now noticed.

[leivapool]

i'm sorry but if you didn't notice that he was under instruction from klopp to sit deeper than the two CBs when in possession, in order to pass the ball to them in space either side of him, then you're more of a clueless bellend than your posts usually portray you.

Whether it was under instruction or not,  Stewarts passing is very poor.  I know you'll find a good pass if you trawl enough footage and he is pretty accurate, ,  but to carry a midfielder who is unable to ping balls in to the feet of the front men quickly is a handicap. Stewart is a passive passer,  he plays the easy backward pass whenever he can,  never opening up the game.  Often an accusation thrown at Lucas and Hendo in their younger day,  one could always see that they had passing in their locker,  once they got the confidence.  Stewart has never shown that he has that in his locker and it's no coincidence that last night we improved once he'd gone off and Emre dropoped in to the deep position.  There's a reason Stewart never gets in the league squad,  and I'd argue that if Sakho or Gomez were available Stewart wouldnt even get in the cup teams.  He's a lucky beneficiary of Mama's discipline issues,  and Gomez's injury.  Further, he's nowhere near a first team place,  and at 23 that a concern

[Giono]

Should we even have player threads for younger players?


They are prone to inconsistency and the opportunities to shine or fail are so few. Player threads tend to black/white debates and for youth players there is little data to feed the beast.

[Chip Evans]

Jesus. He plays one game a month. Emre or Phil come back from injury and they get 4 or 5 games to get going and rightly so. He was arguably man of the match against Spurs in the last round. Maybe cut the young fringe lads a bit of slack. I find he rarely lets us down - wasn't fantastic last night but i'm sure he'll be fine if we need him again.

[LFC when it suits]

Came in and did his job. That's all you can ask for from a player of his role.

[Dim Glas]

Whether it was under instruction or not,  Stewarts passing is very poor.  I know you'll find a good pass if you trawl enough footage and he is pretty accurate, ,  but to carry a midfielder who is unable to ping balls in to the feet of the front men quickly is a handicap. Stewart is a passive passer,  he plays the easy backward pass whenever he can,  never opening up the game.  Often an accusation thrown at Lucas and Hendo in their younger day,  one could always see that they had passing in their locker,  once they got the confidence.  Stewart has never shown that he has that in his locker and it's no coincidence that last night we improved once he'd gone off and Emre dropoped in to the deep position.  There's a reason Stewart never gets in the league squad,  and I'd argue that if Sakho or Gomez were available Stewart wouldnt even get in the cup teams.  He's a lucky beneficiary of Mama's discipline issues,  and Gomez's injury.  Further, he's nowhere near a first team place,  and at 23 that a concern

it's not a concern though is it. He's a 5th or 6th choice midfielder, who only gets a game occassionally in the cup, or the odd 10 min sub appearance if we're short of players.

I don't think anyone really thinks he's an option to be a first team regular at any point. As long as he's happy to be a squad player, then all good. In a year or two I can see him just moving on, same sort of deal as Brad Smith - couple million to a 'smaller' prem team or down to the Championship. He'll have a decent enough career if he wants to take the leap.

[IndianRed]

Jesus. He plays one game a month. Emre or Phil come back from injury and they get 4 or 5 games to get going and rightly so. He was arguably man of the match against Spurs in the last round. Maybe cut the young fringe lads a bit of slack. I find he rarely lets us down - wasn't fantastic last night but i'm sure he'll be fine if we need him again.

This, and I'm pretty sure he picked up an injury and had to go off the last time he played for the U23s so he's probably not at a 100% yet. Also, Klopp has been impressed enough with Stewart to give him two contract extensions during his tenure so he obviously rates him much higher than we think. Make no mistake, Stewart would have been out of the door in the summer like Brad Smith and Ibe if Klopp didn't think he had a future with us. Stewart has never let us down when called upon and seems to have a great attitude behind the scenes by all accounts.

[Lynndenberries]

Whether it was under instruction or not,  Stewarts passing is very poor.  I know you'll find a good pass if you trawl enough footage and he is pretty accurate, ,  but to carry a midfielder who is unable to ping balls in to the feet of the front men quickly is a handicap. Stewart is a passive passer,  he plays the easy backward pass whenever he can,  never opening up the game.  Often an accusation thrown at Lucas and Hendo in their younger day,  one could always see that they had passing in their locker,  once they got the confidence.  Stewart has never shown that he has that in his locker and it's no coincidence that last night we improved once he'd gone off and Emre dropoped in to the deep position.  There's a reason Stewart never gets in the league squad,  and I'd argue that if Sakho or Gomez were available Stewart wouldnt even get in the cup teams.  He's a lucky beneficiary of Mama's discipline issues,  and Gomez's injury.  Further, he's nowhere near a first team place,  and at 23 that a concern

You are incredibly naďve if you think Sakho would get a game or a spot on the bench over Stewart at this point.

[El Lobo]

To be fair he'll be there to replace Lucas, when his contract is up and he leaves. So we'll be saving on those wages massively, for minimal if any decrease in quality (for the short amount of time either are on the pitch)

[Klippity Klopp]

Hardly indicative of his play though is it, one moment in one game.

True, he usually tries to play safe - but that was poor.  However I think he's very limited in possession personally.

I think his decision making is very questionable at times as well.  Like allowing their player free to just run onside early on in the game.

I guess ultimately he's 4th choice in that deeper CM role behind Henderson, Can and Lucas.  So maybe we shouldn't expect too much.  But I don't think he is showing us much either when he plays.

[El Lobo]

I guess ultimately he's 4th choice in that deeper CM role behind Henderson, Can and Lucas.  So maybe we shouldn't expect too much.  But I don't think he is showing us much either when he plays.

Is he?

When was the last time Lucas started there?

[Klippity Klopp]

Is he?

When was the last time Lucas started there?

Lucas is 4th choice CB since Sakho got relegated to the reserves.

But with Gomez back maybe he'll be used more in CM.  I think Lucas is a much better DM than Stewart.

Guess we'll find out.  Well either way Stewart is 3rd or 4th choice in that deeper role.

[KingKolo]

Is he?

When was the last time Lucas started there?

I reckon Lucas would be picked ahead of Stewart for a big game if Hendo and Can were injured.

[Isaacsways]

squad player at best, he's 23, not young, i can see why Spurs let him go to be honest..

[KingKolo]

i can see why Spurs let him go to be honest..

that's a bit much

definitely not good that he was dispossessed in the build up to Leeds hitting the post, but his general play otherwise was ok.
yeah he's not a promising teenager, but he's hard working, has a good attitude, and is presumably on a really low wage.

[astowell1]

I like him and think he's a perfect fit for his role in the squad.  Not every game will be a stormer for any player so to deeply analyse and criticise someone who plays once a month seems pretty harsh.

[DivisiveNewSigning]

Can't say I've ever been massively impressed with the lad. A lot of people are saying lay off our young players but he needs to be showing more at 23.

I think he'd be suitable for coming on in the last half an hour of games to shore things up. His positional sense was actually really good last night. But I don't think he's technical, creative, or brave enough to ask him to start and go and win matches.

Definitely more a fire-extinguisher than a fire-starter. Every squad needs them though, but I'd like to see him hit the next gear.

[AaronSingh25]

I like him and think he's a perfect fit for his role in the squad.  Not every game will be a stormer for any player so to deeply analyse and criticise someone who plays once a month seems pretty harsh.

Utter nonsense. Had he had a stormer yesterday, and played well then we'd rightly be praising him.

There is a player in Stewart just waiting to be coached out. But he can't get rid of that 'terrified mentality' that he just won't put his mark on games.

Case in point, he gets the ball from Minoglet, plenty of space and time, instead of a quick touch forward and move the team up the field, he constantly controlled the ball, looked around and passed the buck to his two central defenders with a safe pass. It's one example of something he has to cut out of his game.

Plenty of times, where he had the opportunity to move into space, receive the ball and drive the team on from that holding roll - instead he remained static, not moving into space, and not wanting the ball.

As i say, you see these traits in young lads who are terrified of making a mistake and don't have the confidence to try things out - but Stewart is 23. If he doesn't have the balls to go for it now, he never will.

[reddebs]

People do realise his football background is different to our and most other young players?

He only joined Academy level football at 17, having only played for his local team and school.  He's missed out on a lot of high level coaching that kids who've been with an Academy from 6/7/8 years old.

Of course that's not all bad but he's a hell of a lot of catching up to do, technically and tactically, compared to most 23 year olds.  He also suffered a serious knee injury in September last year.

Jurgen obviously sees something in him or he wouldn't have had 2 new contracts in the last 10 months.

[vallapureddy]

Season opener 15 mins to go and Arsenal all over Liverpool for equalizer. Guess what? Klopp brings in Stewart. I think Klopp knows better about this lad than us for sure.

[AaronSingh25]

Season opener 15 mins to go and Arsenal all over Liverpool for equalizer. Guess what? Klopp brings in Stewart. I think Klopp knows better about this lad than us for sure.

Are you sure Klopp rates him? Hasn't really used him much has he, other than these cup games.

Is pretty much every discussion going to be shut down with the argument 'Klopp rates him'.

As i've said, i think there is a player in Stewart somewhere. Just needs to grasp his opportunities rather than be so conservative and afraid.

[zero zero]

Is pretty much every discussion going to be shut down with the argument 'Klopp rates him'.

I think it would help you (and the forum) if you don't consider "Klopp rates him" as a way to shut down discussion, but an opportunity for you to start thinking: What am I missing? You criticised Lallana after the Palace games for jogging around, not doing much, but up until his injury, he'd arguably been our player of the season.

[leivapool]

Is he?

When was the last time Lucas started there?

He started there the last time he played a game and wasnt needed as a CB.......... against Derby.  Matip played at CB with Klavan so Lucas  played DM.  Stewart never made the squad despite being fit.

[leivapool]

People do realise his football background is different to our and most other young players?

He only joined Academy level football at 17, having only played for his local team and school.  He's missed out on a lot of high level coaching that kids who've been with an Academy from 6/7/8 years old.

Of course that's not all bad but he's a hell of a lot of catching up to do, technically and tactically, compared to most 23 year olds.  He also suffered a serious knee injury in September last year.

Jurgen obviously sees something in him or he wouldn't have had 2 new contracts in the last 10 months.

Serious knee injury??  Behave.  He played on 29th August,  and again on 8th Jan,  At most he missed 4 months.  Gomez,  Lucas,  Ings,  these players had serious knee injuries,  they missed a year or more.  And if we are using one 4 month injury to make excuses for lack of development,  then Sturridge must be about 10 years old in developmental terms!!!!

I don't think he can catch up what he missed,  that's the point.  He doesn't get enough game time to progress fast enough given that he's older than Emre,  and not that much younger than Mane and Coutinho who are 24.  We aren't making injury or expereince excuses for them,  nor should we have to.

Clearly Jurgen talks Stewart up and gave him the contracts,  but then never even puts him in the league squad :/

[JackWard33]

I think it would help you (and the forum) if you don't consider "Klopp rates him" as a way to shut down discussion, but an opportunity for you to start thinking: What am I missing? You criticised Lallana after the Palace games for jogging around, not doing much, but up until his injury, he'd arguably been our player of the season.

More to the point why do people think Klopp rates him? ... I'd suggest Klopp thinks he's okay ish based on when he's used him

[number 168]

Stewart is rather limited but he does a job against lesser opposition when called upon. Yes he has a tendency to pass the ball sideways or backwards more often than not, but he hardly gets a game and at 23 is probably at a crossroads in his career, He will not hold down a place in our first team so he either accepts his low place in our pecking order or he finds a team that can give him more games. He's not a bad player just not good enough for us apart from the odd cameo role.

[istvan kozma]

Are you sure Klopp rates him? Hasn't really used him much has he, other than these cup games.

Is pretty much every discussion going to be shut down with the argument 'Klopp rates him'.

As i've said, i think there is a player in Stewart somewhere. Just needs to grasp his opportunities rather than be so conservative and afraid.

Lol he's just been given a new 5 year contract a couple of weeks ago, even though he already signed a contract in February.

[Asam]

I like Stewart, he is someone that will get better with games but he will have a good career IMO

[classycarra]

I think it would help you (and the forum) if you don't consider "Klopp rates him" as a way to shut down discussion, but an opportunity for you to start thinking: What am I missing? You criticised Lallana after the Palace games for jogging around, not doing much, but up until his injury, he'd arguably been our player of the season.

well (and politely) put.

when aaron singh has it in for a midfielder, that midfielder should rejoice for he is probably doing something right - such is aaron's inability to call a player

[classycarra]

Whether it was under instruction or not,  Stewarts passing is very poor.  I know you'll find a good pass if you trawl enough footage and he is pretty accurate, ,  but to carry a midfielder who is unable to ping balls in to the feet of the front men quickly is a handicap. Stewart is a passive passer,  he plays the easy backward pass whenever he can,  never opening up the game.  Often an accusation thrown at Lucas and Hendo in their younger day,  one could always see that they had passing in their locker,  once they got the confidence.  Stewart has never shown that he has that in his locker and it's no coincidence that last night we improved once he'd gone off and Emre dropoped in to the deep position.  There's a reason Stewart never gets in the league squad,  and I'd argue that if Sakho or Gomez were available Stewart wouldnt even get in the cup teams.  He's a lucky beneficiary of Mama's discipline issues,  and Gomez's injury.  Further, he's nowhere near a first team place,  and at 23 that a concern

bias bias bias

hyperbole hyperbole hyperbole

I HEART LUCAS

'I say words like never and unable and lucky and nowhere near in order to try to add emphasis to my skewed, biased and preconceived criticisms of a player that competes for a midfield spot with lucas'

nonsense nonsense nonsense

klopp's holding midfielder in being more careful with possession than other positions shocker - you must have missed the criticism henderson is receiving right now for the same thing. when the space is there, he passes it forward quickly and precisely, though obviously not with henderson's range

so instead of targeting a young player or ours, and resenting him for not being a regular aged 23, try having a go at klopp - cos these two are clearly following his instructions

[Yorkykopite]

More to the point why do people think Klopp rates him? ... I'd suggest Klopp thinks he's okay ish based on when he's used him

A couple of weeks ago he called Stewart the best "challenger" in the club. We know how much emphasis the manager puts on winning the ball back quickly. It's unusual, however, for Klopp to single out any player. That he did so with Stewart, on this critical skill, suggests the boss rates him.

Unless you know different of course.

[plura]

With time this is a player that will get smarter, more sophisticated and the experience will do him good. Can see him do very well over time at Liverpool if given time and matches. But obviously that's easier said than done. Like him to stay, fight for a place in the team and not over speculate about if Klopp likes him or not.

[RedPat]

Would love to see him improve under Klopp,his attitude is fantastic and I like him.

[Dim Glas]

Would love to see him improve under Klopp,his attitude is fantastic and I like him.

he's gone from being let go by Spurs, to being signed by a better team, and has got himself in the first team squad, be it as a 'bit part' player. I think he's already improved a lot under Kloppo.

I don't read a great deal into the contract situation, Flannagan was given a new contract too last season, but I can't see him having a future at the club. Maybe it's partly protecting assets, as much as obviously having a player who adds depth to a team and is happy to be a squad player.

[Redshadow]

We're in a good position, aren't we, having someone like him, doing his job, and we're still arguing about his place in the team while we keep on winning.
I think that Klopp rates Stewart and he's for keep. We're going to have an even busier schedule these coming months and also next season, when CL beckons. There's no need to bring too many new players, as for me, Klopp's style of play is quite distinct and it's better to rely on players who are familiar with it, can do the job and are already around instead of bringing new ones.
(Hence, I even think that if Lucas is willing to continue with his current role, he'll be given a new contract).

[dogeibbor]

...
klopp's holding midfielder in being more careful with possession than other positions shocker - you must have missed the criticism henderson is receiving right now for the same thing. when the space is there, he passes it forward quickly and precisely, though obviously not with henderson's range

so instead of targeting a young player or ours, and resenting him for not being a regular aged 23, try having a go at klopp - cos these two are clearly following his instructions

This is correct. Each player are playing to instruction, there is no doubt in my mind about that. Klopp seems very explicit about what he expects in a role, so I'm pretty sure the style of play (passing the ball to the sides, not much breaking the lines) is by instruction.

As for Stewart, I've never been very impressed about him. But Klopp sees him every day in training and keeps giving him extensions to his contract, so I trust him 

[vallapureddy]

We're in a good position, aren't we, having someone like him, doing his job, and we're still arguing about his place in the team while we keep on winning.
I think that Klopp rates Stewart and he's for keep. We're going to have an even busier schedule these coming months and also next season, when CL beckons. There's no need to bring too many new players, as for me, Klopp's style of play is quite distinct and it's better to rely on players who are familiar with it, can do the job and are already around instead of bringing new ones.
(Hence, I even think that if Lucas is willing to continue with his current role, he'll be given a new contract).

It wouldn't be too bad to have Lucas on a one year rolling contract basis. Can do a job when needed either in midfield or defense.

[Upinsmoke]

He does a job, however I don't think he will ever play regularly but if he's happy to do the job currently being asked of him and doing that in the future then that's alright by me, although at 23 I'm sure he will want to play regular football soon.

[the_red_pill]

he's gone from being let go by Spurs, to being signed by a better team, and has got himself in the first team squad, be it as a 'bit part' player. I think he's already improved a lot under Kloppo.

I don't read a great deal into the contract situation, Flannagan was given a new contract too last season, but I can't see him having a future at the club. Maybe it's partly protecting assets, as much as obviously having a player who adds depth to a team and is happy to be a squad player.

Under the current owners and even more so now that Klopp's here there has been a considerable improvement in how we handle our finances. No longer are we just training young lads and letting them go on the cheap, we give them extensions and new contracts as well as a few first team appearances to boost revenue further. To squeeze out every drop of money out of a deal(which is a good thing).

That's just my take on the raft of contract extensions and first team appearances, these past few seasons.

But then again- I'm turning into a rather cynical old git by the day.

[Severely]

I like him a lot. I think there's more to him than meets the eye, and wouldn't be surprised if he stepped up his performances soon.

[JackWard33]

A couple of weeks ago he called Stewart the best "challenger" in the club. We know how much emphasis the manager puts on winning the ball back quickly. It's unusual, however, for Klopp to single out any player. That he did so with Stewart, on this critical skill, suggests the boss rates him.
K
Unless you know different of course.

I don't know anything beyond when he's picked him and I haven't seen him start him for a single significant game except when we had a chronic injury crisis