David Hodgson

'Pour sur' ?? I don't think so. Go re-take French O level.

Strange thing about that game, in a way, is that it sort of marked the end of an era. If memory serves it was virtually, if not the last, of a long run of wins we had at the begining of the 90/91' season. We opened the campaign with something like 10 wins in 11 games and looked unbeatable and on our way to number 19. We fell apart after that and things wuz ne'er the same again......

If I may clutch at a straw : With the Kewell transfer, every club under the sun, in the press, was linked to him bar us. We may be timing our run from the back. The lack of progress on any other RW may be significant of us keeping our powder dry for Cherna Walcott. As I said, wishful thinking may be, but this is the season of daring to dream....

I think Kewell has produced, consistently now, for over 10 games. He's been one of our better performers in nearly every one of the recent run games. Having said that he's still not the player he once was, and he may never be again. I remember John Barnes never being the same after his spate of injuries. Having said that the player that Kewell currently is, is easily good enough for us, and anything we get beyond this level should be viewed as a bonus. I'm confident that Kewell is a focused enough kind of individual that if he stays injury free he will not allow his form and his career to just fizzle out. The only thing that can hold him back, IMO, is the return of his injury plague.

I don't do this, That's unfair. I didn't bring Garcia into this debate, others did. What's this about favourites? ? I only have a 'bias' towards players I think are exceptionally good. If I beat a drum for some players it's because I'll think they're under-appreciated. For what it's worth, both Garcia and Kewell have been used on the left and right wings and as second strikers. They therefore play a range of very similar roles. It's utter nonesense to think they can't be compared positionally. FWIW I think Garcia is a good player who is improving. I think Kewell is a much better player. I also know that Gerrard is a better player than Steve Warnock (for example) despite the fact they play different positions.

I understand the 'if it ain't broke' angle but it's too simplistic. Just because we buy Owen doesn't mean we'll change our style. People said we'd become an ale house long ball side just because we bought Crouch. Rafa would know how to integrate Owen. Owen scores goals and it is not at anyone else's expense. It shoudld also be noted that good as we have become we are not quite as freescoring as we should be. We have the worst 'goals for' column of the top sides. A natural finisher would do us th eworld of good.

Why isn't this thread in the Liverpool forum ? This is all about whether or not we'll get to sign one of the country's most exciting young talents, in many a year. Isn't the very epitomy of the type of thing that should be discussed on a 'Liverpool forum' ?

All may be true, but ask yourself this : why when both are fully fit and available has Benitez virtually always picked Kewell first ?

I think if you have a pair of strikers one is always the fulcrum of an attack and the other slightly withdrawn. They never literally play parallel to each other. However, just because one is more withdrawn than the other doesn't make him a 'hole' player. That's a very specialist position.

No.

Evra, definitely...oh no, wait, he's sh*t isn't he ?....erm....Ashley Cole ?...Asiar del 'me so' Horno ? The options are endless. Riise will do for now. It's only bloody left back FFS. Jesus, we managed to be the best team in the universe with people like Joey Jones and Alan Kennedy at left-back.

Well obviously if you bring something into the argument that I'd completely overlooked (like the fact he's got a broken foot) you're going to be right.

No, I think you'll find, if you read Robbie's book, that he never ever played between lines. That was someone else in his family...or something...

Sami was MOM.

I don't think it matters what Owen literally did or didn't say to Sven. Anyone could guess at those being Owen's thoughts. Of course he's unhappy at Newcastle. It's a club going nowhere fast, that will not get near an intertoto place, let alone the Champions league. He's only got the money there to keep him warm, that's obvious. The problem for Owen and the Geordie's is that, exact truth ot not, Sven's comments are another timely reminder that Newcastle aren't going to keep Michael Owen. It just futher emphasizes the sham of marriage that exists between Newcastle and Michael Owen. A product of financial necessity, not love. That's just not true. The only times he made firm statements about staying beyond his contract were at the begining of that summer that Rafa joined. He kept saying that things were looking good and wanting to sign. In the end something else happened. Either the lure of Real was too great, or Rafa was less than 100% committed to Owen. I don't know the truth and I don't think you do either. We saw the same thing with Gerrard. One minute he was definitely staying (after the CL final) and weeks later he was off, only to u-turn, due to immense pressure. Maybe Owen didn't get the same pressure put on him.

I just wish we'd stop f*cking around and just go out and get Owen now. Offer the hapless Geordie's something like £8m and throw in Pongo and Traore. Owen's gotta get out of toon v.quickly now, given Sven's 'revelations'. I'm sure I'll get some stick for the implied criticism of Rafa/the club/Parry, but bringing back Owen is a real no-brainer. He'd be a perfect foil for either Crouch or Morientes, and he guarantees goals. That just isn't debatable.

He won it didn't he ? I remember it now, he gave Henry Kelly quite a run around with his quick-witted comebacks.

So we'll take that as the nearest you'll ever get to 'Sorry Harry, I totally misjudged your character and ability'.

No 75%. know your maths sonny.

4-5-1. or 4-2-3-1 requires a player to 'play between the lines'. That is the key to the system. In Valencia he had Aimar. He thought he could do it here with variations of Gerard, Kewell and Garcia in that role. Of those 3, only Garcia is a specialist 'hole' player, but he is simply not good enough to be relied upon in THE key position in that system. I think if you've got a Dalglish, a Zola or Bergkamp you can play 4-5-1. Without that player it puts more emphasis on wide men and getting bodies into the box, feeding off their supply. In that system 2 (up front) is obviously more productive than one.

...and I thought Xabi had his worst game in living memory. Hyypia was outstanding.

I can understand him going down. He'd still have had plenty to do to get shot away.

We could have had that game won by half time without ever getting into gear. Tottenham were awful in the first half, and came out of the traps in the second half, but in no sense did they control that game, and anything but a Liverpool win would have been a travesty. Having said I don't think we played well today. Several players were off the pace and everyone's touch seemed to be off. I thought Xabi had a poor game. Our shining lights were Hyypia, Sissoko and Kewell.

And you shall have one. 5 wins out of the next 6, starting with a routine dispatching of Tottenham tomorrow. Our new, expensive, top notch right winger will feature and score in the latter games. ...and so it will come to pass brother....

Mike's point was that Liverpool do, from time to time, for varying reasons, fail to secure targets. It's not unreasonable to ask why. We know as facts that Liverpool missed out on all our striker, right winger and centre back targets last summer. Two of which were declared as priority positions by the club.