Nottsgriff

I'm choosing to believe that we are spinning a line about being skint and leaking possible loan deals (e.g. Bent) because we're looking to buy a couple and don't want to get shafted on the price. I can't face another window like the last one...

I genuinely think that a lot of Gerrard's so-called problems at the moment are caused by the lack of a striker. He is at his best as a CM when he's playing perfectly weighted through balls to strikers playing on the last defender, or using the space created by their movement to launch a drive at the box with a quick one two. Neither of those options are available to him at the moment. Suarez is not the type to play on the shoulder of the centre back, and until Enrique was nudged forward the only outlet for his through balls was the occasional burst from Sterling. He's still doing alright in CM, but he's not having the impact on games that we've come to expect, and I think a lot of it is due to what he's got to work with. That being the case, we'd be far better off picking him further forward and trying to use his energy and passing further up the pitch. I'd go with Allen and Henderson deep, with Gerrard in front, for Spurs but would love to see us experiment with this setup at some point against a lesser side: Reina Wisdom Skrtel Agger Johnson Allen Sahin Suso Gerrard Sterling Suarez I reckon we'd have plenty of goals in that side while we wait for January. Mind you, Lucas will be back before we have a chance to try it.

Another good article here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/may/08/4

His book is well worth a read. I'm not 100% convinced whether he's really onto something completely new or if he's just a great salesman re-packaging common sense and rationality, but either way he has a great knack of making difficult thoughts and emotions seem perfectly rational, understandable and (most importantly) controllable. Useful stuff for everyone to learn about, not just top sports stars. I'm pleased he's working with us, certainly won't do any harm and could do a lot of good.

Yeah, that'd do me. Gerrard and Sterling on the bench in case we need them, Allen at home with his feet up. Would like to see Morgan given another run out second half if things are comfortable.

Yep, as a short term fix, keeping the same first team, if you had suso as the furthest forward midfielder and gerrard on the right of Suarez I reckon we'd have better balance and attacking threat. It'd do sahin good to play in the middle of the three too, looks lost at times at the moment.

Jones made it easy for him after a wonderful bit of skill to beat Coates. Otherwise much better than I expected/feared. Henderson has to shoot there though, has to.

That's the problem though - in attack we haven't got better players than Swansea had, apart from Suarez who is contributing even more than you'd expect him to. Who'd have thought at the end of last season that we'd be playing Sterling and Suso week in week out as part of our main attack...it's crazy. As talented as they are, we're relying far too much on them, and youngsters will always be inconsistent while they're still developing. Now if we get Huntelaar and Walcott in January and still aren't scoring enough goals come the end of February I'd start to question the manager more, but at the moment the biggest problem I see is good build up play constantly undermined by a totally toothless attack. It's players not systems for me at the moment. And the worst thing is that it was horribly predictable when the transfer window slammed shut and we hadn't signed even one forward (most agreed at the time that we needed two or more).

Hopefully nailed the developing myth in some quarters that Rodgers is tactically inflexible too.

Yep, because there's such a difference between the two and we're attacking and committing numbers forward. If that means that we will occasionally get picked off on the break by some of the top teams under this system, but are much better at smashing the smaller teams in the league on a regular basis then I'd happily take that.

The key difference with our residents is that 'something' needs doing with their houses anyway as part of the Anfield regeneration scheme, whether it's knocking down and rebuilding, refurbishing the existing housing, or just flattening it and turning into community space as part of a wider development. So the club's stand redevelopment is just another factor to throw into the mix. With Trump's course he basically just parahuted in and told them to eff off as he wanted to build a golf course there. So whilst I can sympathise with the Scottish residents fighting to the last and ending up with CPOs, I'd be disappointed if we can't come to a good settlement with the Anfield residents - I'd like to see the club stepping in to offer more than the standard market rate plus 10% that's been mentioned, but I'd have thought something like the option of £100k or a new refurbished house nearby a street or two away would be more than generous given the circumstances.

It is a 4-5-1 at times. When we have the ball and are attacking the full backs push on, Lucas (or Allen at the moment) drops deep, and we have a kind of 3-4-3, (or 2-1-2-2-2-1). When they have the ball and we have time to set, the wide players in the three drop in and we have a kind of 4-5-1. What we are working on is the transition and making sure that the players are tactically aware enough to drop in and cover each other when needed, so that we have a fluid system in attack and defence, and not a rigid one with holes when someone loses position. For me the problem, despite the exciting youngsters distracting us from it for a while, remains the same as it did at midnight on deadline day. We are desperately short of a class striker or two, or even an average striker or two. We're adapting to the new system quicker and better than I thought we would, but we're hamstrung by a lack of goals from our attacking players, and I can't see that changing dramatically until January. We'll still have games like Sunday where we dominate but can't score. As for the first choice midfield when Lucas is back, it's got to be Lucas with Sahin and Allen ahead hasn't it? With Gerrard moved forward to get us goals, at least until January.

They really do take gamesmanship and thuggery to a new level. Look at the way their keeper wasted time, then once he was warned by the ref the full backs came short for two super-quick kicks immediately afterwards. They'd not taken a short goal kick all game, it was just to pacify the ref so that the keeper could get back to his usual time wasting afterwards. They rotated the cynical fouls, never missed the chance for a cheap shot. As much as I hate it, it's really something to admire the way they've crafted it and taken cynicism in the game to its natural conclusion. I bet Pulis has that Udinese lad who rugby tackled us midweek on his shortlist for January. You need a good, strong, ref to prevent them from spoiling their way through the game, and today we had a weak, coward of a ref. That said, we stood up to it, weren't bullied out of the game, and we created enough chances to win it and yet again didn't take them. Suarez wide after his great run, Johnson over after a great ball from Gerrard (and first touch from Johnson), Skrtel at the end etc. etc. It's great having the kids stepping up and playing well, but it's still not disguising the fact that we are a class striker short of being a very good team, and that should have been sorted in the window.

Whilst there probably are some lower league sides who have lower fitness levels (less motivated players, less sophisticated training methods etc.), I think it is more to do with their lower ability levels. When a lower side plays a good side, they usually have less possession and spend more time running around chasing shadows as the better team outplays them. This means they tend to tire in the last 20 mins relative to the better opposition.

We know the system now, we've played well against good teams without reward, but now our season starts here. Let's smash these. Win our next three and things are looking pretty good again, and there's no reason not to expect three wins against Norwich away and Stoke and Reading at home. Think he'll go with Reina, Wisdom, Johnson, Skrtel, Coates, Sahin, Allen, Gerrard, Assaidi, Suarez, Sterling myself. I think he's more likely to go with Wisdom than Robinson at full back since the latter's only had one game (though admittedly Wisdom's only had one more), and Enrique can't get picked given his recent form. Obviously Agger is in for Coates if fully fit, but I'd be surprised if he risked him if there's any doubt given his past record.

Yep, here's what the Mirror did with the same quotes from the same sources on the same night http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2012/sep/12/hillsborough-disaster-daily-mirror

Thought that was really good. Enough interesting stuff for us obsessives, plus loads of good stuff for non-fans. Didn't really cringe at anything too much, and i think it will get us a lot of additional casual support. My only doubt is how much of a distraction it is having the cameras in, e.g. filming the team talk for our first away game of the season seemed a bit OTT, but then we went out and played well first half so maybe not.

More evidence of what a lying two-faced b*****d Jack Straw was and stil is.

Out of interest, does anyone on here know of any police officer who has ever been jailed as a result of their part in a miscarriage of justice? Because I can't remember any. I can remember a few examples of legal technicalities getting the case thrown out before it was heard, and of officers retiring on ill-health and too sick to stand trial, but I can't remember one who's been found guilty and faced any consequences? Tomlinson, De Menezes, Birmingham Six, Guildford Four, Cardiff three, can't see any record of a copper being found guilty there despite overwhelming evidence of corruption... Even when the evidence is as clear cut as the panel's report shows, I think we're setting ourselves up for disappointment if we are expecting any copper to be jailed over this. Doesn't mean we shouldn't try though.

Yeah, it was on the news at the time so someone somewhere must still have the footage. I'd misremembered though and it was to Phil Hammond rather than Hicks according to Brian Reade's article from yesterday. I couldn't believe he was sat there right behind Burnham, should have kept out of the way given his record.

In opposition Jack Straw met the families, looked them in the eye and promised that if Labour were elected he would open a new inquiry. Once in Government in 1997 he backed out of that, and said he wanted a judicial review first. He appointed Lord Justice Stuart-Smith, whose line to the Trevor Hicks at his first meeting with the families was along the lines of "have you got any other chaps coming or will they all turn up at the last minute like the fans did"? His review was a further part of the cover-up, concluding that there wasn't enough evidence for a new enquiry, and leaving the families fighting for another 15 years to get to yesterday's full disclosure of what went on. Basically, Jack Straw is a liar and a coward, and like MacKenzie I couldn't care a toss whether he apologises or not. He had his chance over 23 years to do his bit for truth and justice and showed his true character by his actions over that time, words now are meaningless from him.

Cameron's full statement available here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/9538391/Hillsborough-report-Prime-Minister-David-Camerons-statement-in-full.html A few choice quotes: "The families have long believed that some of the authorities attempted to create a completely unjust account of events that sought to blame the fans for what happened. Mr Speaker, the families were right." "There is new evidence which shows that police officers carried out police national computer checks on those who had died in an attempt – and I quote from the report - “to impugn the reputations of the deceased.” The Coroner took blood alcohol levels from all of the deceased including children." "by analysing post mortem reports the panel have found that 28 did not have obstruction of blood circulation and 31 had evidence of heart and lungs continuing to function after the crush. This means that individuals in those groups could have had potentially reversible asphyxia beyond 3.15pm in contrast to the findings of the coroner and a subsequent judicial review." "Mr Speaker, with the weight of the new evidence in this report, it is right for me today as Prime Minister to make a proper apology to the families of the 96 for all they have suffered over the past 23 years. Indeed, the new evidence that we are presented with today makes clear that these families have suffered a double injustice. The injustice of the appalling events - the failure of the state to protect their loved ones and the indefensible wait to get to the truth. And the injustice of the denigration of the deceased – that they were somehow at fault for their own deaths. On behalf of the Government – and indeed our country – I am profoundly sorry for this double injustice that has been left uncorrected for so long." "Mr Speaker, because of what I have described as the second injustice – the false version of events - not enough people in this country understand what the people of Merseyside have been through. This appalling death toll of so many loved ones lost was compounded by an attempt to blame the victims. A narrative about hooliganism on that day was created which led many in the country to accept that it was somehow a grey area. Today’s report is black and white. The Liverpool fans “were not the cause of the disaster”. The panel has quite simply found “no evidence” in support of allegations of “exceptional levels of drunkenness, ticketlessness or violence among Liverpool fans"; ”no evidence that fans had conspired to arrive late at the stadium”; and “no evidence that they stole from the dead and dying.” I'm no Tory, but that was an outstanding speech by Cameron, followed by great follow up statements from both sides of the house.

Staying at an expanded Anfield? Or just at Anfield as it is?

The trouble was they had no balance. They let him sign six strikers but left him without a left back at the club for three seasons and kept refusing him the cash to buy one. But that's enough of them. It's not the idea of a committee per se that's wrong, it's how it is used and where the balance of power lies. If Rodgers approved it before taking the job, having rejected a DoF setup then that's enough for me to be optimistic that it'll be a help to him and not a hindrance.

Lack of strikers?! Forest had six in Billy's last season! In his words, two to start, two on the bench, and two who will be injured at any one time. Forests committee was used only to curb spending, so was disastrous. The only parallel with us is that billy and rafa unfairly got the 'difficult' reputation for taking on the ownership. Personally I'm not bothered about this committee, if Rodgers refused a DoF but approved this set-up then I'm happy enough. The main thing is for someone to have final say over sanctioning transfers, if the panel/committee/board has the owners trust then what happened at the end of August shouldn't happen again.