is anyone worried

[Phil236849]

that our squad is a little half-baked in fitness going into the champions league qualifier?

 

or are we all confident it'll be alright on the night...?

[CarraLegend]

that our squad is a little half-baked in fitness going into the champions league qualifier?

 

or are we all confident it'll be alright on the night...?

 

I think the manager and his staff might just might know what they are doing

[JohnnyH]

God bless blind faith.

 

I think you have a fair concern Phil. The team don't look fit and our main players wil have played only 1 per-season game prior to the game.

[sutty]

God bless blind faith.

 

I think you have a fair concern Phil. The team don't look fit and our main players wil have played only 1 per-season game prior to the game.

 

 

Think it is difficult to judge how fit the players are unless the game is competitive.

[CarraLegend]

God bless blind faith.

 

I think you have a fair concern Phil. The team don't look fit and our main players wil have played only 1 per-season game prior to the game.

 

Wheras you do the total opposite and criticise and whinge in every thread.

 

How is it "blind faith". Is it not just a tiny bit of common sense that the staff we have might know what they're doing with regards to players?

[monkey puzzle]

Seriously though, these lads have seen them in three or four full throttle pre season friendlies after a WC they reckon they're unfit and Rafa won't have them prepared - I'm cacking it now.

[Benitez]

I'd be more concerned if our players who played 60 games last season, played for 12 months, and played a world cup, didnt get a good break.

 

I think they will be ok, and are looking in decent fitness.

 

This team outlasted most teams last year - even having played more games, and started their season far earlier - they where fitter and stronger than most other teams. Early last summer people predicted burn-out cos of our early start - funny how that wasn't mentioned when we played in the last domestic game of the season in Cardiff.

[Phil236849]

players are always rusty this time of the pre-season, that's why i always get nervy in these vital qualifiers particularly if the other team's any good. we've been lucky to draw some no-hopers in the past but i think the israelis will not be useless even if we remain clear favourites

 

the traditional half-baked fitness level is exacerbated by the world cup. so make that quarter-baked for some.

 

yes, we should still do it, yes, i am sure our management are alive to these problems, but am i sweaty? of course, because clearly however good our management are, the players will not be as fit as we'd like for an important match...

[IgPig]

It'll be fine. You'll get that extra edge from a real match, and they are hardly going full tilt in the friendlies.

[Sion]

I agree, sack Rafa for not preparing the players. Why should Gerrard get a rest? It's not as if he's played non stop football for a year. Hell, why did we give any of them a rest, wasters, they can only get 3rd in the PL and the FA cup, they should play constantly until they win the PL.

[Huyton_Red]

The thread comes across as a critisism of the managment. It implies that they are not doing their job properly.

 

I wonder if we had won the last two pre season games would there even be threads like this.

 

Are you a half scotish/half essex man who wears glasses, has a butler, washes and reuses his toilet roll ?

 

Are you a nightmarish merge of James A and Scot ? Please tell me it is not so

[CarraLegend]

So why doesn't he win every single game then? Are you saying he doesn't prepare as much for the games we have lost in the past?

 

 

What on earth are you muttering on about now? I think he'll have our players fit, thats all. Call it "Blind faith" or whatever you like I really couldn't give a f*** as you're boring the hell out of me now.

 

Haven't we lost our (3rd) home qualifying games the past few years

 

I think Darren Potter played in both and we had two goal leads anyway, it did get a bit nervy though especially CSKA (Although GAK ended up better positioned) they played some good footy and we had Josemi playing

[alext]

Not slept for a few nights now.

[Phil236849]

I just find it odd that you're judging fitness levels on what you've seen in pre-season games

 

1. Do you agree that, in general terms, it is often the case that players are not at their peak form or fitness before the start of the competitive games, and that these factors normally improve as the competitive season progresses?

2. In this instance, other than what you've seen in pre-season friendlies, what other evidence do you rely on to judge fitness levels?

[Rimbeux]

1. Do you agree that, in general terms, it is often the case that players are not at their peak form or fitness before the start of the competitive games, and that these factors normally improve as the competitive season progresses?

2. In this instance, other than what you've seen in pre-season friendlies, what other evidence do you rely on to judge fitness levels?

 

1. Yes, most top teams aim to peak for the run up to Xmas, and the run-in. So why the thread?

 

2. You don't, cant. You can't judge fitness levels on pre season games, mainly because the players are not actually preparing for those games, as they would in season. The games are just part of the training, so the coaches will think nothing of training them hard on the day of a game, even if it takes away from the performance in game.

[Montse]

This was taken from the offal yesterday...

 

FOWLER REAPING REWARDS FROM PRE-SEASON

Paul Eaton 01 August 2006

Robbie Fowler is hoping a demanding pre-season fitness programme will enable him to perform to his clinical best this season.

Fowler - who has a minor knee problem which may rule him out of this evening's friendly against Grasshopper Zurich - has seen injuries blight recent pre-season campaigns with Leeds United and Manchester City, but he believes he's now approaching the sort of physical condition which will help him perform to his maximum once the real action gets underway.

 

"I really can't remember the last time I went through a proper pre-season," Fowler said.

 

"It's been really hard work since we came back, but hopefully we're all going to get the benefits from it when the season starts.

 

"I think you could see from the game on Saturday the training is taking a lot out of us. That's not an excuse for the performance, but everyone's working hard every day and it really isn't about the results now, but getting fit.

 

"Obviously we've all got to have pride in our performance whenever we play for Liverpool, but you can't really judge anything from these games. They're more like organised training sessions.

"You can tell that by the way I was allowed to come back on the pitch after being subbed at the weekend. That was definitely a first in my career. It was just a shame because I picked up a bit of knock on my knee when I went back on, so we'll see how it is before the game."

 

These are organised training sessions we are playing against mediocre teams, we are playing the entire squad, young new and old so we probably arnt going to look our best, thats not a point of critisism its all part of trying everyone out. They are working incredibly hard in training and as Robbie says of course its going to show.

 

To be honest I would be more concerned if we were a team like Spurs who have played top European sides for the last few weeks, their supporters are seeing this as evidence of a cracking season to come but in actual fact it means little or nothing, we have had many of our side on extended breaks because of the WC, we have prob played more or less the same pre season games than Man U, Chelsea and Arsenal who are in the same boat with similarly mixed results. Our season starts earlier so we have to do the hard graft now.

 

Fitness is temporary, form is permanent!

[Sara]

Haven't we lost our (3rd) home qualifying games the past few years

 

 

Well yes we have but don't let that worry you

 

I think we'll scrape thru to the group stages as per normal.

[downunder]

Good point, but it still wouldn't stop the discussions though.

 

Kev, I saiad the same thing was mine a good point too ?

 

I think testimonials should be at the beginning of the season not the end, then if people want to see glorified training sessions then money goes to a good cause (If palyesr are a good cause). These games could replace the friendlies.