[quote author=mark1975 link=topic=47011.msg1405600#msg1405600 date=1317110401]
The whole thread is a bit pointless really, well the arguments within are.
Those who don't rate him exaggerate how bad he is. Those who do, go round in circles fighting an argument that they compound with "well I know we can do better".
Why don't you all just agree that:
He's a nice bloke and a great pro
He never lets his head drop amidst some pretty shocking barracking at times
He's had some good games against good teams
He's had some shit games against not very good teams
His statistics are neither here nor there, being able to pass it sideways or backwards successfully 90% of the time equates to nothing
While his ability to break up the play and cover ground shouldn't go unrecognised, neither should his ability to always give away dangerous fouls around the box.
We can do better. I think we're all agreed on this. While he's not the worst player in the World, he's far from the best and at the minute I'd suggest he IS playing poorly and he WAS poor against Wolves, he gave away four needless freekicks off the top of my head, which is more or less typical of his general game.
Yeah he gets some unwarranted stick at times, but those criticising are mostly doing so because he's symptomatic of Liverpool these days, people like to dress players up as better than they are and that's where we're falling short. He plays because we've got no one else, not because he's good enough to hold off the competition, it's because there isn't any.
As for going on about "fans", well no one's called him a cunt much since Brendan left, are we not allowed an expressively negative opinion of a player these days? There's nothing wrong with calling a spade a spade, just don't call him a cunt because he isn't. He's just not that great a footballer.
[/quote]
On the money
The whole thread is a bit pointless really, well the arguments within are.
Those who don't rate him exaggerate how bad he is. Those who do, go round in circles fighting an argument that they compound with "well I know we can do better".
Why don't you all just agree that:
He's a nice bloke and a great pro
He never lets his head drop amidst some pretty shocking barracking at times
He's had some good games against good teams
He's had some shit games against not very good teams
His statistics are neither here nor there, being able to pass it sideways or backwards successfully 90% of the time equates to nothing
While his ability to break up the play and cover ground shouldn't go unrecognised, neither should his ability to always give away dangerous fouls around the box.
We can do better. I think we're all agreed on this. While he's not the worst player in the World, he's far from the best and at the minute I'd suggest he IS playing poorly and he WAS poor against Wolves, he gave away four needless freekicks off the top of my head, which is more or less typical of his general game.
Yeah he gets some unwarranted stick at times, but those criticising are mostly doing so because he's symptomatic of Liverpool these days, people like to dress players up as better than they are and that's where we're falling short. He plays because we've got no one else, not because he's good enough to hold off the competition, it's because there isn't any.
As for going on about "fans", well no one's called him a cunt much since Brendan left, are we not allowed an expressively negative opinion of a player these days? There's nothing wrong with calling a spade a spade, just don't call him a cunt because he isn't. He's just not that great a footballer.
[/quote]
On the money