goodrobotusses

Carragher was a decent stop-gap full-back who was very good at stopping opposition wingers, but in terms of attacking threat/distribution he never offered anything much. What he did well was be intelligent enough to know he wasn't the best on the ball, so he'd usually take the easy pass sideways or back. That way we'd at least keep possession of the ball, though it meant for a more rigid attacking approach from the team.

They're both crap on the ball. Carragher can get away with it if he's got a few defenders around him who can distribute the ball properly. At full-back in the modern game it's pretty difficult to get away with being limited on the ball, as you're expected to add to the attack in open play a lot more than a centre-back is. Debating which one is worse on the ball is pretty pointless though. Riise's left foot is better than Carragher's right, but Carra's left is far superior to Riise's right. At least Carragher is willing to use it when necessary, even if just to clear the ball. Carragher's weakness on the ball can be covered by the fact he's a great defender, much the same as it has been for the likes of Tony Adams, Sol Campbell and John Terry. Riise's problem is that he's great at nothing but running in straight lines.

The feeling is mutual.

Don't think Momo ever fully recovered from being kicked in the eye away to Benfica. He was never exactly the best in terms of his passing before then, but it went from being servicable to woeful after that incident. Maybe it's a coincidence, but I wonder about how damaged his eyesight was afterwards.

Riise was 'better' under GH because we were a team of hoof merchants and runners then. We've progressed so much as a team under Rafa that Riise's limitations are lit up like a Christmas tree. And I'm not having it that Riise is, was, or ever will be a better footballer than Smicer. Smicer's problems here were down to an unfortunate injury record, our style of football under GH, and the fact he was never played in his best position behind the striker (a position he consistantly shone in for years in the Czech national team).

I think Gerrard is largely playing well in that position because of the likes of Babel and in particular Torres. Whenever he'd played there in the past he'd looked lost and frustrated playing most of the game with his back to goal. Now with the pace we have going forward on the counter, defences have to drop off to compensate for the likes of Babel and Torres, this opens a big gap between the opposition's defence and midfield, which gives Gerrard the chance to surge forward in support. It's a fantastic sight. But if you put Gerrard in behind someone like Crouch or Kuyt, who primarily turn and face away from goal and offer no threat in behind, he wouldn't be anywhere near as effective because the opposition could keep compressed and compact between defence and midfield.

He didn't have to. His form was gash in the first half of the season, but he's a cracking player. He'll never win any awards for aesthetics (either in looks or footballing style), but he's got a great football brain and works his knackers off.

Buh? I think Anelka and Drogba have only played together as conventional strikers for maybe 20 minutes towards the end of the Arsenal game. Chelsea pretty much always play 4-3-3, usually something along the lines of... ----------------Cech Essien Carvalho Terry A.Cole -Ballack Makalele Lampard -J.Cole Drogba/Anelka Kalou

He did, but the guy is a total donkey. Puts himself about alright, and had a purple patch in the first half of the season at Pompey, but his technique is horrible.

Jebus, that's horrible.

In fairness, he'd probably just sulk out on the left about how far he has to run with a bad back, before bursting into tears about missing his daughter.

He got injured shortly after arriving, but has made a few appearances since - usually on the left or the right, often as a sub. Been pretty ineffective and lightweight according to City fans I've spoken to.

True, he scored a shin special the other day. Funny stuff.

He's been practising diving headers at his own goal as a way of avoiding using his right foot to clear the ball? Oh, well that's okay then.

No idea if Jo is any good, but Eriksson's record with signing strikers at City so far has been pretty darn patchy. Bojinov getting injured was pretty unlucky, granted, but none of Bianchi, Benjani, Caceido (sp?) or Castillo have exactly been awe-inspiring thus far.

And the Premier League would quite literally kill him. Decent player, but never lived up to early promise.

The furore over Voronin's moaning and arm-throwing over misplaced passes got me thinking... Can you imagine what a thankless task it would have been being a part of the Leverkusen team that had him and Berbatov up front together? Anyhoo, for me (like many others) Voronin merely falls into the 'okay' bracket. He's had some good performances in games when we've been playing well as a team, with decent game intelligence in terms of positions he takes up between the opposition's defence and midfield. But he's also had some real stinkers when the team as a whole has played badly. He's no world-beater, but he's not the pantomime villain he's been painted as either. Decent enough business as a squad player on a free, but nothing more than that.

I liked his comment about people wanting something different. No Ian Wright as a pundit on football games is a cracking start.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_rolling

I'd be worried if we were signing Barry based on him being friends with Gerrard. If we started consulting Gerrard on transfers we could end up re-signing Danny Murphy and Michael Owen.

It's an internet thing, involving a Rick more cheaply dressed and 80s-looking than Rick Parry.

Aye, but probably 90% are against Hicks at worst. Sadly, given Hicks gave Sky Sports News the exclusive he'll have probably put the onus on them to air at least as many pro-Hicks views as anti, giving the impression that a hefty number of Liverpool fans are pro-Hicks or at least anti-Parry/Gillett. Paranoid, me?

Navas - suffers the kind of homesickness that could make Jose Reyes look nomadic in comparison Joaquin - never lived up to his early promise, sadly

I'd be happy for us to take Johnson if one of our CMs were to leave. Wouldn't want Barry though (think that rumour is b******s though).

Very good game from Lucas, though Blackburn weren't as 'up-and-at-em' as you would expect, so he got more time on the ball today than he had done recently. Still, very promising first season given the aforementioned bedding in from a different football culture.