LOLiverpooLOL - Next Season

[PlasticRoyale]

This happens every season. Liverpool are not competing for anything and play reasonably well = they're gonna win the league

[PlasticRoyale]

good win tonight by the sounds of things. Maxi is starting to put the goals in

[roadrunner]

Cracking game at Craven Cottage tonight. 5-2 Liverpool.

Not sure that 5th spot is really worth fighting for but you can't fault Liverpool's change in fortunes since the return of King Kenny.

Don't Liverpool quite often finish the season strongly when they're out of all competitions and the pressure is off?

Still their fans had a good sing song tonight, copying Celtic.

How do Chelsea usually play when they have nothing left to play for?

[Victor Meldrew]

I thought Carragher came across well in interview as he always does.
He even laughed when the reporter asked him about next season and said that question is always asked at this time of year.
The impressive aspect of Liverpool's recent good run is that they are back to the quick passing game of the glory years and in Luis Suarez they have probably the best South American playing in English football.
Maybe there is some substance this time in predicting a season when they will challenge based on the form shown since King Kenny took over which is second only to the form of Man Utd over the same period.

[PlasticRoyale]

I guess we'll see next season

[No Fixed Abode]

Cracking game at Craven Cottage tonight. 5-2 Liverpool.

Not sure that 5th spot is really worth fighting for but you can't fault Liverpool's change in fortunes since the return of King Kenny.

Don't Liverpool quite often finish the season strongly when they're out of all competitions and the pressure is off?

Still their fans had a good sing song tonight, copying Celtic.

How do Chelsea usually play when they have nothing left to play for?

We had something to play for with 3 games to go in the season - and although Man Utd will win the league now - it's still not mathematically over with 2 games to play. Liverpools season was over ages ago.

[No Fixed Abode]

liverpool look excellent at the moment, all those who wrote them off and said they were midtable or relegation fodder under hodgson and it wasn't hodgson's fault as you couldn't get any more out of that squad are looking like absolute morons at the moment, no gerrard, no agger, carroll not fit yet, playing loads of kids and they're tearing up the league, unbelievably impressive stuff, kenny is indeed the king, this is perhaps one of the few times when the "next season" confidence has some merit, and with the likelihood of 5 or 6 quality signings to come liverpool will certainly be a force to be reckoned with, interesting times ahead folks

I'm sure someone has posted exactly the same every season for the last 20 or so seasons.

[cmonurz]

You seem a bit obsessed m9. Chelsea not competing for anything?

[Hoop Blah]

It's much easier to win when there's no pressure of course, but it does seem that Dalglish has had a positive and galvanising effect on the Liverpool squad. You have to assume that the players didn't fancy Hodgson for some reason and that meant the odds were heavily stacked against him suceeding.

Hodgson's position, and the turn around after replacing him with a club insider that the players seem to be giving their full backing, looks like having a lot of similarities with Reading of last season.

It will be interesting to see how Liverpool cope next season though. As we saw for a lot of this year, having promotion form for a few months towards the end of a season doesn't put you back up there challenging the season after.

I hope Liverpool do kick on and get back to challenging as the more teams competing for the league title (and the top 4) the more interesting the league is.

[Victor Meldrew]

In reply to NFA it didn't look as though the quartet of Fat Frank (yet another non-appearance in a big game apart from a simple tap-in),
Essien (whatever happened to that engine?),Malouda (now reached 30 but has the zest of a 40 year-old)and Kalou (is there any other forward in the Premier League worse at retaining possession or being beaten in the tackle?) were trying very hard in their cup final for this season.
Expect major changes at Chelsea including the above non-fab four.

[No Fixed Abode]

In reply to NFA it didn't look as though the quartet of Fat Frank (yet another non-appearance in a big game apart from a simple tap-in),
Essien (whatever happened to that engine?),Malouda (now reached 30 but has the zest of a 40 year-old)and Kalou (is there any other forward in the Premier League worse at retaining possession or being beaten in the tackle?) were trying very hard in their cup final for this season.
Expect major changes at Chelsea including the above non-fab four.

You obviously didn't watch the game m8. We had more possession, more chances on and off target than United. Essien had the best pass completion rate of any player on the pitch and Lampard had the 3rd best pass completion rate after Giggsy and Lamps notched another goal.

[Hoop Blah]

Thanks Snowball....

Anyone that doesn't think that Essien looks less of a player than he did a couple of years back is kidding themselves. I can't see them getting rid of him yet though as he's still got a lot left to offer and is still one of the most complete midfielders in the league on his day.

[Silver Fox]

In reply to NFA it didn't look as though the quartet of Fat Frank (yet another non-appearance in a big game apart from a simple tap-in),
Essien (whatever happened to that engine?),Malouda (now reached 30 but has the zest of a 40 year-old)and Kalou (is there any other forward in the Premier League worse at retaining possession or being beaten in the tackle?) were trying very hard in their cup final for this season.
Expect major changes at Chelsea including the above non-fab four.

You obviously didn't watch the game m8. We had more possession, more chances on and off target than United. Essien had the best pass completion rate of any player on the pitch and Lampard had the 3rd best pass completion rate after Giggsy and Lamps notched another goal.

I'm sure Roman will be thrilled to pin up those stats in the trophy cabinet

[Maguire]

liverpool look excellent at the moment, all those who wrote them off and said they were midtable or relegation fodder under hodgson and it wasn't hodgson's fault as you couldn't get any more out of that squad are looking like absolute morons at the moment, no gerrard, no agger, carroll not fit yet, playing loads of kids and they're tearing up the league

Yeah, coz Hodgson had Carroll and Suarez at his disposal, didn't he? Suarez is a cracking player, a real outlet for the team.

I believe they have a lot of money to spend in the summer so they should be back up there next year but along with every other football supporter in the land i'm going to offically LOL at all the "next year is our year" hype that'll be trotted out between now and August.

More than two decades in the doldrums now, lol.

[TBM]

liverpool look excellent at the moment, all those who wrote them off and said they were midtable or relegation fodder under hodgson and it wasn't hodgson's fault as you couldn't get any more out of that squad are looking like absolute morons at the moment, no gerrard, no agger, carroll not fit yet, playing loads of kids and they're tearing up the league

Yeah, coz Hodgson had Carroll and Suarez at his disposal, didn't he? Suarez is a cracking player, a real outlet for the team.

I believe they have a lot of money to spend in the summer so they should be back up there next year but along with every other football supporter in the land i'm going to offically LOL at all the "next year is our year" hype that'll be trotted out between now and August.

More than two decades in the doldrums now, lol.

He had Torres though

[Hoop Blah]

He had Torres though

Which might've been part of the problem.

[Silver Fox]

liverpool look excellent at the moment, all those who wrote them off and said they were midtable or relegation fodder under hodgson and it wasn't hodgson's fault as you couldn't get any more out of that squad are looking like absolute morons at the moment, no gerrard, no agger, carroll not fit yet, playing loads of kids and they're tearing up the league

Yeah, coz Hodgson had Carroll and Suarez at his disposal, didn't he? Suarez is a cracking player, a real outlet for the team.

I believe they have a lot of money to spend in the summer so they should be back up there next year but along with every other football supporter in the land i'm going to offically LOL at all the "next year is our year" hype that'll be trotted out between now and August.

More than two decades in the doldrums now, lol.

He had Torres though

Carroll + Suarez > Torres

in fact

Kuyt + Maximum rodriguez > Torres

[PlasticRoyale]

50 pages by the end of the season?

Do Spurs and Liverpool still have to play each other

[TBM]

Torres still bagged 9 goals for Liverpool in the league this season, though


Liverpool v Spurs on Sunday

[cmonurz]

^^ That's the distinct difference in this current Liverpool side - Liverpool essentially played without wingers, or attacking midfielders (if you take Gerrard as playing just off Torres) for two or three seasons. Since Kenny took charge, first Meireles, then Kuyt and Maxi, have been scoring hatfuls, 12 in the last 5 games for the two wingers between them. That said it's more fluid a system than straight 'wingers', and Lucas is proving one of the surprises of the season, he looks very comfortable in the 'Mascherano role' and has a decent habit of staying out of trouble, unlike his predecessor. Johnson's return has given them even more attacking threat, and Flanagan looked like a 10-year pro last night, not an 18 year old in about his 10th ever game.

Whilst I still think they a better side with Gerrard in it, writing that has shown me they aren't missing him all that much. And who do you take out to accommodate Stevie, without changing the system?

On paper the team still has a few weaknesses, and no strength in depth, so Dalglish will need to invest wisely during the summer (I'd be surprised if Young isn't a Liverpool player by August), but it's been a very decent start for him.