Are you a Liverpool fan quoting all that history?

The fact I claimed that Dalglish was a complete dud exonerates me from such charges.

Breaking News - RSPCA investigating reports of 11 donkeys slaughtered in blackpool last night.

I blame either the South Yorkshire Police, the Athens Police or UEFA for making them play in an unfit stadium.

He isn't, he's in charge of our game against the mackems. Lucky us.

thanks,at least we have a chance now !

I hope it's Clattenberg

you mean Crappenburg - at least he's equally as bad for both teams, the football version of Ganson I suppose !

Question for the Liverpool fans:

Dalglish turns it round between now and the end of the season, taking LFC to a top 6 finish. Then Rafa announces that he wants his old job back at Anfield. Who would you go for?

Kenny for me.

Being fair though Keith, did he seriously create stars out of them? Barnes was more prolific a goalscorer at Watford than he was at Liverpool and Peter Beardsley was already a big name too. I think simply being Liverpool at the time was enough to bring these players in, they were signing for the biggest name in the country at the time.

I think Dalglish's record after he left Liverpool has to bring into question whether his success at Liverpool in the late eighties was a short term fluke. I'm not personally saying he never had anything, but he has not achieved anything since and Liverpool turning to him at this time is risky to say the least. It appears to be riding on the exact same level of nostalgia as when Newcastle brought in Keegan and look how that turned out. Painting someone as a messianic saviour is an unrealistic and unfair thing to do. You needed a current, professional manager right now to stop a sinking ship, not someone who will bring the players a temporary burst of motivation. Dalglish must be as temporary.

Hodgson didn't get the money to spend. He worked with players he ultimately didn't sign who wouldnt play for him. His tactics were often questionable, but if I were a Liverpool fan I would find it frustrating that the players would not even try to make the most of it and the squad appears to be very thin. All of a sudden certain players spring into life? Give me a break. They owe it to the fans to always give it their best.

Blackpool's dominance yesterday shows that Liverpools problems run deeper than a manager who didn't suit the club. They are honestly being outclassed and players like Poulsen are way off the pace of the premier league.

Neither for me.

I agree with you in regard to some of the statements coming from fans about him, I didn't want him in myself, thinking he'd be out of date tactics wise. Him not persevering with the 442 that obviously wasn't working for Hodgson, bringing back a passing game and the appointment of Clarke has alleviated some of my fears.



I take it you are talking about Torres here? IMO a lot of the problem with him under Hodgson was to do with the style of play. Torres is a goal scorer, he's not overly strong in the air, he doesn't have pace over 30 yards. He needs balls played into the channels and to his feet, but Hodgson had him playing as a target man or chasing long balls. He was being battered challenging for high balls and constantly losing foot races with defenders, is it any wonder that he looks happier now we are playing the ball on the floor more often?



The midfield was poor, Poulsen and Lucas are too similar (and as you say Poulsen is well off the pace anyway), and I thought Merieles passing was terrible. My worry was that the bench did not have anyone on it that I thought would be able to provide a spark to change the game, as was proved by the final whistle.

The point I was making was that the uneducated scot was suggesting that Dalglish's success was on the back of inheriting the squad Fagan left him. In '85/'86, there's a case for that because he also had Paisley with him as well. But, he signed McMahon (his first in '85), Beardsley, Aldridge, Houghton and Barnes (all in the '87/88 season) and I think Spackman came in later in the '87/'88 season and he sculpted the players he had and the players he bought into a great team. Add to that Rush, one of the most prolific strikers in the world also left at the same time. So to suggest that his success was because of the team that Fagan left is complete bollox.

No one's doubting that Liverpool at the time had no problems bringing top players in and if I remember correctly, there was talk of Barnes leaving Watford for a couple of seasons and although he was linked with us, Man U and I think Arsenal, nobody seeemed to be prepared to take the gamble of signing him, which a lot at the time thought it would be, until Dalglish signed him. His stats say he was more prolific at Watford, but you have to remember he was at Liverpool for 10 years and the last 4 or 5 was spent in the depths of central midfield. In his first 4 seasons he scored 76 goals in 181 games.

The modern football fan makes these people into the messiahs though, one minute their booing, the next they are applauding.

The major problem was when they left Rafa go, you don't get rid of anyone unless you can get a replacement that is better, which they clearly didn't. Hodgson was and never will be good enough no matter what some of his chums in the media and LMA say, most Liverpool fans didn't fall for it and that's why they never really got behind him and turned on him like no other manager has seen at Liverpool. He shown so many times he was out of his depth and the board had little option to remove him, but that brought another problem, trying to replace the manager mid season.

The only option they had was to bring in Dalglish in the interim, which I'm glad they did because everyone in the club had to be singing from the same hymn sheet whether it was the board, the manager, players or the fans and that's what's happening at the moment. Personally, I don't want Dalglish in the long run and i don't think bringing back Rafa is the best option now either. Hopefully Dalglish can steady the ship, get to the end of the season and start afresh with a new manager.

You'd have to admit though that the Dalglish era was an up and down affair, with the downs being more significant in the long term than his successes?

Certainly, the 87/88 season was his pinnacle, but only after battering the transfer market after he had been trounced the previous season by Everton....At that time, that sort of splurge in the transfer market was pretty unheard of, especially by Liverpool, who always had a reputation of being prudent in the market and picking up bargain buys, like Rush, Hansen, Nicol, etc.

That success was pretty short term considering the money spent and by 1990 the cracks had appeared in his management....Despite winning the league, probably the most memorable Liverpool game that season was the humiliating semi final defeat against Crystal Palace, which was the start of the end for Kenny, who had no answer to aging players who were nearing the end of their careers and being replaced with average players....David Speedie anyone?

Dalglish's big positive is that he knows the club and its expectations, something which Hodgson struggled to get to grips with, but as I think you'd agree, in the long term, Liverpool need a fresh start.

Who do you support? If you're a blue, I suspect you're not, you obviously don't watch us much. Pathetic.



I do mate, I was really impressed with him and at the time he looked like just the type of player we could do with as he was an athlete, as you say, but he worked hard too and scored goals not something you always find but it just concerned me a little that Monaco are happy to ship him out so quick but there can always been reasons unknown to us. You've hit a great point with Moyes, midfielders and defenders he's been spot on with generally. Always done well in those departments but strikers he just can't seem to get it right, Jo on loan was missing off your list too



I'm disappointed Yakubu has gone, despite what people say about his work rate, he's a goalscorer and a proven goalscorer too. He's strong, his holdup play is superb too, he's been brilliant since we have had him. The other thing is Moyes, as we all know, loves 451 - as much as people say we have to play that way to suit Cahill you've also got to have the striker who can play that role too, Yak or Saha can't do it, infact the only player, IMO, that has done it and done it well under Moyes is Marcus Bent.

I haven't seen much in France this year so I can't say, but some reasons could be he hasn't settled, so they're moving quick whilst his value is still sort of high (he was strongly linked to Liverpool in the summer for a high-ish fee).

A few months in France shouldn't change the view he made whilst at Standard, he could be worth a punt and could turn out to be a gem (like Pienaar), but I'd defo swerve Robbie Keane if the rumours are true.

I've always wondered why Cahill doesn't play as a striker? I don't think he offers anywhere near enough with his passing/dribbling to play any deeper. I remember him sort of filling in there before, and, whilst he may not be a natural striker, if you're struggling, you may as well give it a shot, IMO.

Cahill's a strange one tbh mate, he's a superb player and one of, if not the, best signings Moyes has made but he's simply a support striker (you're, not so, favoured role

) he's been tried deeper in midfield and although he's getting better playing in a 'flat' midfield four he's not anywhere near as effective, play him as a striker, which we have, and he becomes even more less effective. We tried it at West Ham in December and a recent home game but the match escapes me, Cahill's at his best ghosting in from off the pace, late runs into the box, sneaking back post for crosses while the striker gets occupied. He also provides a great foil for a striker and can occupy a centre half or two leaving more space to exploit. He's simply perfect playing off a front man and off the pace, any other role you lose something.

As for Mbokani, you're right it's not fair to judge so early and it shouldn't ruin the opinion of him from his Standard days. Like you, I've not seen him play for Monaco and by all accounts they're struggling this too so it's not just Mbokani. I don't want Keane and I'd be really surprised if Moyes brought him in but with now only Saha, Beckford and Anichebe available he must have someone lined up.

doesn't matter who the manager is - with the current crop of players you're going nowhere - give Kenny the real money and he will build the team like he did at Ewood - stick to the present policy of bringing in mediocrity then you will remain mid-table at best

I note you still have not answered any of my questions.

Chump.

So where has peanuts gone then?

It's on Sky Sports News now that Steven Pienaar has turned down a move to Chelsea and has signed a pre-contract agreement for a 'major European club'. That surely rules Spurs out of the running.

Inter? Bayern? I can't think of many places where he won't be mercilessly abused racially. He's a fool to leave Everton.

Call me odd (this is influenced by footy man), but I thought players based in England couldn't agree to contracts with clubs in England until the summer? I know it sort of 'still happens', but I didn't think it was allowed to happen until the summer, a bit like your lot with Beckford.

Still, it would be a shame for Everton to lose Pienaar, especially on a free. I've not read much on it so I don't know why he wants to leave. Is it wages? Club stature?

our 'Arry seems to like him for some reason but I can't see him ending up at WHL - he's not foolish to leave Everton ? even if another club is prepared to double his wages ?
As for the racial abuse etc - I would imagine it's the last thing he's worrying about whilst counting all that lovely loot going into his bank account in Zurich...

Is he all that? I have never been impressed with him that much tbh.

He's a good player with a bit of everything, but he doesn't score enough IMO. He creates quite a lot, he can play across the midfield (probably at his best on the left, but he's looked good in the middle when I've seen him), he works hard but he lacks the goals IMO. He's better than Park at United, he would make a top squad player for any of the huge clubs, but, at his age, he should really be looking for first team football.