honourablegeorge

Yep, for August.

Garcia's fantastic with his head for his size, he really is. That little flicked header he scored last year, it was BEAUTIFUL. But yeah, the likes of Riise (six two, isn't he?), Carragher, Sissoko, etc - amazing we don't seem to get the headers from corners and the like. I meant that Gerrard was conspicuously absent from the work rate top three - something that would never have been the case not so long ago.

If Crouch is out third best in the air, then, for such a big side, we're crap in the air. Work rate thing is about spot on. Shame it's not more in doubt. Where's Gerrard?

Our problem is that carragher, Finnan, Gerrard, Alonso, Bellamy, Pennant and probably a few more have yet to hit anythign even approachign good form. We haven't suddenyl developed a problem with formation, tactics, management or anything else. We'r ejust not playign well. We look jaded, at times uninterested, and sloppy.

That's just nonsensical. Crouch has his shortcomings, but he was a big part of everythign we did well last season. To suggest he's held us back is laughable.

Few months ago, rafa was int he Echo and that talking about how Crouch had to keep working, not let it go to his head, etc, etc. Since then, Kuyt and Bellamy have arrived, and Crouch has had very few league appearances, particularly with his goalscoring form for England, and the couple he got in Europe. Where does he stand now, do peopel reckon? Is he beign rested as a result of his international exertions? Is there any suggestion that he might have slacked off in training, or anythign of that nature? Or is he simply no longer first choice?

I can see us gettign reight into this two games a week, and come the Xmas rush, being up to our necks in points. And by then, the only person whinging about rotation will be Charlie Nicholas.

"You're not as big a joke as Spurs, son. Yet."

Sounds like an ideal way to get the worst out of both of them. Stick Sissoko up front with Reina and we're laughing.

That's the whole argument though - to play Gerrard centrally, he had to compromise/change/modify his game. You have to sacrifice his freedom to roam, his unpredictability and some of his forward effectiveness, in order to get him to play there. Should we be capitalising on his instincts, or trying to rein them in? I say let him loose, give him the freedom.

Hard to track the left back when you're over on the opposite touchline, on a wander...but yeah, fair point.

Nonsense to suggest that Gerrard is anything other than our best player - he's an amazing footballer, no two ways about it. But it's equally daft to make claims like "he's the best central midfielder in the world", etc. He's become a better player over time, but also a different player. Ten yards of grass to one side of him makes f*ck all difference to that.

They were more alike as players, you could say, but Momo's got nowhere near the range of abilities that Gerrard had at that age.

That's the whole point, and something that Giles was quite clear about when he made the point - it's not a criticism of Gerrard. There's so many people out there who jump on the suggestion that Gerrard's not best used in the centre of midfield as a criticism, and get pointlessly defensive about it. It's not criticism, it's a fact - the player that Gerrard has evolved into is best used in the attacking third, not in the centre, keeping the ball, passing it to the attack. You might as well get ratty when someone suggests that Carragher isn't at his best in the centre of midfield. Carragher's evolved into a cente half, Gerrard into a Nedved/Ronaldinho/Zidane style player. You wouldn't see any of those three expected to do the midfield donkey work, I don't see why people are so insistent that Gerrard should be doing it. It's not like he actually plays as a right winger - he didn't score all those goals while stood on the touchline, like. Benitez can see it, Giles can see it, and Souness too. They're right. It's the likes of Richard Keys who needs a kick in the f***in' face, not a week goes past where he doesn't come out with "But SURELY, Gerrard's best position MUST be in the centre of midfield" or similar. It isn't, and hasn't been for a while, no matter how much they'd like to accomodate f***in' "Becks" in the England team.

Little whinge, but I couldn;t disagreee with any of it. Agger does look very promising indeed. He'll give Sami a run for his money this year. You wonder how wise it was pinning our central midfield hopes on Zenden, rather than Hamann. I know who I'd rather have.

And West Ham, given Rio's comments over the summer. Plenty United fans none too pleased. I'd liek to see Aggger play a bit more. I can understand him not being thrown into the derby maelstrom (although, in hindsight, it might have been a good idea), but I think he's shown enough to warrant more starts. When Carra's fully fit, and Riise returns to left back.

....is Tim f*cking Cahill nipping in at the near post to score a free header because someone's gone to sleep for a corner. Happened against Sheffield United, and that's already once too many. And Andy f*cking Gray will be up on his zonal horse again.

SACK PARRY's GREAT GREAT GREAT GRANDSON

Haven't heard the full interview, only seen quotes on the Echo/Post site. If that's the case, then fair enough. Didn't know he'd done the same sort of thing for Agger either.

Given the career he's had, the shunting around to different clubs, the periods on the bench, and all the grief he's taken from people up and down the country? You could forgive him for it, like.

True - just find it odd that Benitez would go public with these warnings twice. And you could possibly see Crouch with FA cup medal in hand, playing at the World Cup, and thinking "I've finally made it"

Well, as I said, to me Crouch comes across as very level headed, intelligent and likable, and I get th eimpression that the squad think of him in much the same way. But that said, by my reckoning, this is the second time in not so may weeks that Benitez has made comments like this about him. Now, on the one hand, it may be purely a "be careful" type friendly warning, but the fact that Rafa's chosen to make it public - I dunno. It makes we wonder whether Crouch is slacking off in training slightly, or something similar, and is receiving a gentle kick in the backside for it.

You wonder, though - when Rafa makes comments like these: "I am very happy for Peter but also worried," said the Liverpool manager. "People are talking highly of him right now and as a manager that's good because it's always important for a player to have confidence. "But I also have to say to him 'be careful' because things can change in a week in football. He must keep his feet on the ground. When people are saying nice things about you it's sometimes easy to stop working as hard because you think you're better than you are."

How doe people thing Bellamy will handle the atmosphere? He's a beligerent little git at the best of times (don't get me wrong, he's our beligerent little git now, and I love him), but in the derby atmosphere..... I could see him collecting a booking here and there.....

Can only agree. Seems a really likable lad, and actually seems to have a brain - his interviews don't descend into the "Well obviously, at the end of the day...." nonsense that you expect from most players.