The lack of cover for Torres

[Tommy Cockles]

**deep breath**

 

I just don't understand how this has been allowed to happen.

 

We have been very fortunate since January with Torres fitness when Keane was shipped out with no replacement brought in.

 

Rafa wants Keane out in January, fine. You know best, Keane hadn't looked great up til then.

 

But someone had to come in. Even a loan deal.

 

OK we don't do that. It doesn't hurt us til the end of the season, but the summer surely something has to happen.

 

There were £10-12 million players out there that the Keane money could be recycled on

 

e.g Darren Bent? Decent, proven goalscorer and surely wouldn't have minded being on the bench a bit at LFC.

 

Again no, not even a loaner.

 

A club of our size and pretensions surely has to have a minimum of 2 top class strikers?

 

WHOSE FAULT IS IT?

 

I can't believe we were so potless we couldn't afford anybody. That we had to sel Keane because we needed the money - thats basically what that means.

 

Yet the wisdom on here is that outing Keane was Rafas call.

 

God forbid Torres picks up a long term knock.

 

We are not a 1 man team, or a 2 man team, but dear god we are thin up front.

[Mr. Biscan]

That is what you call a tactical genius

[Tommy Cockles]

That is what you call a tactical genius

 

Expand?

[Mr. Biscan]

Expand?

 

The fact that we are now in a position that we have f*** all options beyond Torres. It's genius

[CarraLegend]

That is what you call a tactical genius

 

Christ, grow up. This is always the same after a defeat, you act like a f***ing w*****, get told so then run away crying to daddy.

[Tommy Cockles]

The fact that we are now in a position that we have f*** all options beyond Torres. It's genius

 

OK so who is to blame?

 

I am not being loaded, I genuinely banged my head in January and even more in the summer.

 

I see it as a criminally bad position for us to be in and I just don't get it.

 

Is it G&H, is it Rafa, Parry?

 

It seems generally accepted that Rafa outed Keane.

 

Who made the call that we will be alright going into the season with the striker pool we have?

[Walrus]

Christ, grow up. This is always the same after a defeat, you act like a f***ing w*****, get told so then run away crying to daddy.

Haha!

 

Harsh but very much fair.

[Tommy Cockles]

Christ, grow up. This is always the same after a defeat, you act like a f***ing w*****, get told so then run away crying to daddy.

 

Don't know yous 2 but not looking for a slanging match here, just want to know how people perceive this.

 

I really struggle with where we are with our strikers, I think its really serious.

[Lark]

it is serious and rafa hasn't addressed the problem.

 

Babel is not good enough to play upfront, his first touch is woeful, he cannot therefore hold the ball up and bring others into play. The same for kuyt. They also cannot be relied on to finish chances that fall there way. Its rather hit and miss. Yet they are expected to fill in for torres.

 

We dont have any options.

 

Regardless of the money situation there were options for rafa last jan - last summer. Owen was free, i'm sure there were a host of other strikers who were free or cost very little and could fill in every now and again for torres, whether its a fox in the box type threat, or a big target man threat, or a pacey chase and harass the defenders all day long threat.

 

We dont have any of these type players in the squad, and when there's no torres, there is no strike threat.

[Benzo-13]

Why we bought Keane is the question.

[Gunga Din]

the system we play is Torres with Gerrard in behind in the traditional number 7 role.

 

see Dalglish/Rush

 

now, what happens is, when Gerrard gets injured we slip in Yossi behind and its not such a big problem.

 

when Torres gets injured we struggle more, but can move Kuyt Babel/Voronin/Ngog up front.

 

the reason we havent got a top class replacement for Torres is simple. no top class striker is going to come and sit on the bench any only play when Torres is injured.

 

the system we play doesnt allow for 2 out and out strikers

[New York Red]

Don't know yous 2 but not looking for a slanging match here, just want to know how people perceive this.

 

I really struggle with where we are with our strikers, I think its really serious.

 

I'm with you Mr. Cockles. I thought Babel would develop into that role. Clearly that was incorrect.

 

We are criminally thin up front.

 

Just guage us against the strikers on our other competitors in the league.

 

Other than Torres we have b*gger all.

[Tommy Cockles]

Why we bought Keane is the question.

 

It may ba A question but it isn't THE question.

 

I wasn't wild about the transfer (£20 million for a 29 year old) but we clearly needed another class striker.

 

As we do now.

 

the system we play is Torres with Gerrard in behind in the traditional number 7 role.

 

see Dalglish/Rush

 

now, what happens is, when Gerrard gets injured we slip in Yossi behind and its not such a big problem.

 

when Torres gets injured we struggle more, but can move Kuyt Babel/Voronin/Ngog up front.

 

You can, but who on here has any faith in any of them in that position? Without meaning to be confrontational, do you?

 

the reason we havent got a top class replacement for Torres is simple. no top class striker is going to come and sit on the bench any only play when Torres is injured.

 

Well they don't have to be A list but there are surely better players than the above who would jump at the chance to play a part for us esp with CL football etc.

 

Its not just when Torres is crocked but when he needs a break, we need a goal, or (as earlier in the season) when he is out of sorts. Competition is a good thing, no?

 

the system we play doesnt allow for 2 out and out strikers

 

Well maybe not but does it hurt to have more than 1 system?

[Ripley]

the system we play is Torres with Gerrard in behind in the traditional number 7 role.

 

see Dalglish/Rush

 

now, what happens is, when Gerrard gets injured we slip in Yossi behind and its not such a big problem.

 

when Torres gets injured we struggle more, but can move Kuyt Babel/Voronin/Ngog up front.

 

the reason we havent got a top class replacement for Torres is simple. no top class striker is going to come and sit on the bench any only play when Torres is injured.

 

the system we play doesnt allow for 2 out and out strikers

It's as easy as that really.

 

Stupid knobs please digest

[Tommy Cockles]

I'm with you Mr. Cockles. I thought Babel would develop into that role. Clearly that was incorrect.

 

We are criminally thin up front.

 

Just guage us against the strikers on our other competitors in the league.

 

Other than Torres we have b*gger all.

 

I had high hopes for Babel too but those died last season. He should have been/should be moved on.

[Lark]

the system we play is Torres with Gerrard in behind in the traditional number 7 role.

 

see Dalglish/Rush

 

now, what happens is, when Gerrard gets injured we slip in Yossi behind and its not such a big problem.

 

when Torres gets injured we struggle more, but can move Kuyt Babel/Voronin/Ngog up front.

 

the reason we havent got a top class replacement for Torres is simple. no top class striker is going to come and sit on the bench any only play when Torres is injured.

 

the system we play doesnt allow for 2 out and out strikers

 

dont disagree on the system but thats another problem situation not addressed this summer, the wide players/wingers/final third call it what you will. We couldn't brake down teams that parked the bus last season. Questions had to be asked of our final third players, gerrard, yossi, kuyt, reira, babel, el zar etc. Yet they are all still here doing the same thing as last season.

 

An additional creative player - might have negated the need to have another "top class striker".

 

an additional creative player might have helped create a shed load of chances meaning we could get away with having a less than average striker playing up front for us.

 

see utd and andrew cole.

 

i'm sure there are plenty of ageing but still class strikers (karl heinz types) who'd love a final swan song at lfc and plenty of average joes strikers who'd love to have the chance of playing for LIVERPOOL fc, even if it is bit part.

[Tommy Cockles]

It's as easy as that really.

 

Stupid knobs please digest

 

Yes, yes everything is perfect.

 

Sorry for bothering you.

[Flight]

The truth is we don't know whose fault it is. People ITK say Rafa had targets lined up that Parry f***ed up / wouldn't go for / wasn't allowed by the owners to go for. But we don't know if that's true or not.

 

I don't believe Rafa would have sold both Keane and Alonso if he had known he wouldn't see anything for Keane and only 2/3 of the Alonso money.

 

The squad is too small, we don't have enough back up. That was obvious before the season started. Last term we put in some good performances without Stevie or Nando, but some real stinkers too. It was only in the last 3 months when everyone was fit that we put a solid run of top performances together.

 

 

IMO Mascha is as important to us as Stevie or Nando. Any game we miss all three of those we will struggle, especially against physical sides. Add moving Kuyt from the wing to up front alone and I'm not in the least bit surprised at our performance today.

[Red Kent]

The options after Torres are not good enough. It's a fact.

[richwilks]

It's clear that Rafa expected to have money available and has been somewhat shafted.

 

I dont' care what anyone says, haveing Voronin and Babel as options this season was NOT what Rafa wanted.

[surf]

the reason we havent got backup for torres is cause we've had 0 to spend the last two years. the money from players we've bought has come from selling other players

[richwilks]

the reason we havent got backup for torres is cause we've had 0 to spend the last two years. the money from players we've bought has come from selling other players

 

 

is right.

[Barnesy_10]

the reason we havent got backup for torres is cause we've had 0 to spend the last two years. the money from players we've bought has come from selling other players

Makes you wonder why Rafa never got Owen when he had the chance.... Hindsight tells us he's a bigger c*** than we first thought but the opportunity was there prior to the move he made to the c****.

[Chewie]

blame it on the owners, blame it on injuries...blame it on whatever you want but after 5 seasons with a net spend somewhere in the region of £120 mill - see Maddock's article - we have one decent striker at the club. I know all about the Gerrard Torres link but flamin heck - no-one with any serious ambitions has only two genuibne first teamers in their entire squad for key and pivotal positions. When you look at the replacements brought in for say Pongolle or even Mellor can anyone tell me that N'Gog or Voronin is any improvement - and I'm not even talking here about first teamers any more. I'm talking about the back up. In every area of the pitch Rafa has, in general, improved our overall depth and range of options.... but up front, torres apart, we have yet to see - in any season - a formidable unit developed beyond the only names we would wish to see on the teamsheet. This, I'm afraid is Rafa's responsibility and he should shoulder the blame for this and its not being anti-Rafa or blind or knee-jerk to say this...

 

Chewie

[surf]

blame it on the owners, blame it on injuries...blame it on whatever you want but after 5 seasons with a net spend somewhere in the region of £120 mill - see Maddock's article - we have one decent striker at the club. I know all about the Gerrard Torres link but flamin heck - no-one with any serious ambitions has only two genuibne first teamers in their entire squad for key and pivotal positions. When you look at the replacements brought in for say Pongolle or even Mellor can anyone tell me that N'Gog or Voronin is any improvement - and I'm not even talking here about first teamers any more. I'm talking about the back up. In every area of the pitch Rafa has, in general, improved our overall depth and range of options.... but up front, torres apart, we have yet to see - in any season - a formidable unit developed beyond the only names we would wish to see on the teamsheet. This, I'm afraid is Rafa's responsibility and he should shoulder the blame for this and its not being anti-Rafa or blind or knee-jerk to say this...

 

Chewie

 

£80 million

 

£20 mill the first 4 years

£0 mill the last two