MID-Season Analysis

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Post by McAgger Thu Dec 27, 2012 3:26 am

2009-10
Games played: 19
Points: 30 points
Position in Midseason: 7th
Won: 9 Drew: 3 Lost: 7
Rafa Benitez Sacked :coffee:

2010-11
Games Played: 19
Points: 25 points
Position in Midseason: 9th
Won: 7 Drew: 4 Lost: 8
Roy Hodgson Sacked :coffee:

2011-12
Games Played: 19
Points: 34 points
Position in Midseason: 6th
Won: 9 Drew: 7 Lost: 3
Kenny Dalglish Sacked :coffee:

2012-13
Games Played: 19
Points: 25
Position in Midseason: 10th (possibly 11th if West Ham beat Arsenal)
Won: 6 Drew: 7 Lost: 6
Brendan Rodgers???? hmm

Equal worst points total after 19 games in LFC PL history (alongside Woy's record)
Least wins after 19 games in LFC PL history.
Worst league position after 19 games in LFC PL history.
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Post by Art Morte Thu Dec 27, 2012 2:27 pm

Yeah, it's been very disappointing. We haven't beaten any of the clubs currently above us.

I haven't seen much improvement either, but I'm willing to give Rodgers a bit more time. But we must improve or I will start wanting him out probably by February, that's how it is.

ps. Nice comparisons in the OP, by the way.
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Post by DeletedUser#1 Thu Dec 27, 2012 10:03 pm

Average, typical mid-table

We are on our way to become the next Aston Villa.

rip ynwa

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Post by Fahim89 Fri Dec 28, 2012 12:52 pm

Liverpool FC: James Pearce’s half-term report for the 2012/13 season

IT WAS a chastening final chapter in Liverpool FC’s mid-term report. Boxing Day’s wretched defeat at the hands of Stoke City ensured that momentum was squandered on the back of the ruthless demolition of Fulham.

It has been a familiar story over the past five months as Brendan Rodgers’ side have been consistently inconsistent.

Hopes of a concerted push up the table have been boosted by performances of promise, only to be swiftly dashed as glaring weaknesses have been exposed.

The result of that setback at the Britannia Stadium is that Liverpool equalled their worst ever start to a Premier League season.

At the halfway stage they stand 10th with 25 points from 19 matches – eight points adrift of the Champions League spot they covet.

Two years ago Roy Hodgson had secured an identical haul. His 20th league game in charge of Liverpool proved to be his last as a miserable 3-1 reverse at Blackburn Rovers led to him being handed his P45.

There is no chance of Rodgers going the same way, regardless of what happens when Liverpool face bottom club Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on Sunday.

Of course there are murmurings of discontent in some quarters with the manager finding his team selection and tactics questioned after the limp display against Stoke. He isn’t immune from criticism.

However, despite the burning sense of frustration at the Reds’ current status, the vast majority of supporters remain firmly behind the Northern Irishman and rightly so.

The statistics under Hodgson maybe identical but the reality is very different. There is good reason why Rodgers’ treatment from the fans has been so different.

At this stage of Hodgson’s reign he was clinging on for dear life. The chants of ‘Dalglish’ were increasingly deafening and belief in him had long since evaporated.

In stark contrast there has not been a single public show of dissent in the direction of Rodgers whose name has been sung by the Kop even in defeat. That comes down to playing style, personality and circumstance.

Hodgson’s direct, dour and negative approach was always a poor fit at Anfield. Win and complaints were muted, lose and there was no hiding place.

Talk of Rodgers’ philosophy has been over-egged at times as pass and move football is nothing new at Liverpool. But what he has installed is in keeping with the club’s traditions and it’s pleasing on the eye.

It hasn’t always paid dividends in the first half of the season. The reason is that dominating possession is no good if you don’t have the personnel to provide a cutting edge in the final third.

That lack of firepower – with the Reds overly-reliant on top scorer Luis Suarez – means for the most part performances have been better than results.

Where Hodgson alienated Liverpool’s fanbase at every turn, Rodgers has never missed an opportunity to strengthen the bond he formed on the day he was unveiled in June.

When asked if anywhere came close to Anfield in terms of atmosphere, Hodgson (right) responded ‘Old Trafford and the San Siro are very good’.

The embarrassing derby defeat at Goodison was described as ‘the best performance of the season’ and after losing at home to Wolves he bemoaned the absence of ‘the famous Anfield support’.

Rodgers has made no such PR gaffes. He has repeatedly spoken of his pride at managing ‘one of the biggest clubs in the world’, vowing to ‘fight for his life’ to restore Liverpool to their former glory to reward ‘the outstanding supporters’. The 39-year-old has embraced Liverpool’s history rather than run away from it. Where Hodgson tried to dampen expectation levels at every turn, Rodgers has talked the Reds up.

He was ridiculed recently after suggesting that a top two finish wasn’t out of the question for Liverpool this season. Rodgers was merely making the point that fourth place should never be seen as the ultimate target.

It was a welcome show of ambition but the problem is that where Liverpool are at and where they want to be are so far removed.

This was the fourth successive campaign Liverpool have started with a different manager at the helm. Most fans are realistic enough to appreciate the size of the task Rodgers has taken on and that after so much upheaval stability is required at Anfield.

With Fenway Sports Group making it clear the club must within their means, a quick fix was always out of the question and progress has been slow.

Rodgers inherited a squad which had finished seventh, sixth and eighth in the past three seasons.

He was then tasked with slashing back the wage bill as the departure of high earners such as Craig Bellamy, Dirk Kuyt, Alberto Aquilani and Maxi Rodriguez left him light on numbers.

Rodgers, who then lost midfielder Lucas Leiva to injury, was further hampered at the end of August when the owners failed to back him in his pursuit of Fulham’s Clint Dempsey.

When Fabio Borini then broke his foot, the folly of allowing Andy Carroll to go out on loan to West Ham and not replace him was exposed. It left Liverpool in the ridiculous position of having one fit senior striker and that has cost them points.

The signings Rodgers did make have yet to truly fire. After a flying start to the season, Joe Allen’s form has dipped and he’s been taken out of the firing line.

Borini’s return of one goal in 11 appearances prior to his injury tells a story, while after a bright start Nuri Sahin has struggled badly and slipped down the pecking order.

Having been so keen to off-load Carroll because they didn’t want such a high-earner warming the bench, Liverpool are now paying Sahin a similar amount to sit and watch.

Fans have been buoyed by Rodgers’ willingness to put his faith in youth. The emergence of winger Raheem Sterling has been a huge plus, while fellow teenagers Suso and Andre Wisdom have also enjoyed plenty of first team action.

Qualifying for the last 32 of the Europa League as group winners was impressive but surrendering their grip on the League Cup at home to Swansea was sloppy in the extreme.

Ultimately, Rodgers will be judged on how Liverpool fare in the Premier League. The fact that all of Liverpool’s six league wins so far this term have come against teams in the bottom half of the table is a concern.

Reinforcements are on the way in January with the £12million signing of striker Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea likely to to be followed by the arrival of Blackpool’s Tom Ince.

The owners didn’t burden the manager with any lofty targets back in August as they insisted this was a long-term project they had embarked on with a young coach.

However, Rodgers will know that an upturn in fortunes is required between now and May if he’s to retain the kind of unswerving backing from the supporters that he has enjoyed so far.

Four seasons, four managers - Liverpool’s league record after 19 games

2012/13 Brendan Rodgers W6 D7 L6 GD2 Pts 25 – 10th

2011/12 Kenny Dalglish W9 D7 L3 GD9 Pts 34 – 6th

2010/11 Roy Hodgson W7 D4 L8 GD-1 Pts 25 – 9th

2009/10 Rafa Benitez W9 D3 L7 GD11 Pts 30 – 8th

Read more: Liverpool Echo http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2012/12/28/liverpool-fc-james-pearce-s-half-term-report-for-the-2012-13-season-100252-32505198/2/#ixzz2GKuyqSro

For me a far better summation as in contains all the points mentioned in above posts & also somethings extra & why we need to look forward!! :bow:
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Post by Fahim89 Fri Dec 28, 2012 1:02 pm

Didn't know where to post this. . . . Yesterday Jonjo took down his Twitter A/C after some severe abusive behavior from LFC Fans. . .

So this is what we have become now. . . Sad very very sad! :brickwall:

Jonjo's last tweet. . .

MID-Season Analysis 314668_225676754233493_1296221880_n

:bow: :bow: :bow:
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Post by stevieg8 Sat Dec 29, 2012 12:44 am

This is getting ridiculous. Two weeks ago, people we're talking about top 4. Then Aston Villa happened, and we're a failure of a club, midtable, absolute shite. Then Fulham happened, and we're great, look at how dominant we are. Now Stoke, and we're awful again, Rodgers out, worse than Woy or Kenny, terrible manager. Overreacting in response to a frustrating loss is one thing, but once your temper levels out, you should be able to think about things rationally. The fact that we lost to a team away who haven't been beat at home this season, and scored only the fourth goal against them in their home stadium, should be considered. We get optimistic, but did anyone really think we were going to come away with a great result? This loss changes NOTHING about my outlook on the team or Rodgers.
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Post by donttreadonred Sun Dec 30, 2012 6:13 pm

You know what? I give up...

I fail to see the point of these threads.

We always end up comparing our points tally to those of our previous recent managers. Do you want to know what I see?

#1. I see a pattern towards mid-table obscurity, beginning with the in-fighting of the late Rafa Benitez era. Rafa was a good enough manager to work with the mis-management of the club at the time, but by the end of his stint here, he was so sick of working around the BS that he decided to take it on head-first. Ultimately, it did affect results on the pitch, either through botched transfer dealings or distractions to the players, staff, and manager. The result: he was sacked.

Roy Hodgson was the last mistake of an outgoing managerial structure that no supporter will ever miss. For someone so well versed in English (and world) football, he never seemed to understand what LFC was. He didn’t understand the mentality that needed to be presented, the passion the supporters needed to see, or the style/quality (regarding overtly negative tactics and approach to the table) of football that those supporters would accept. To be honest, I could deal with some of the results achieved in his tenure. What I could not stand was his overall effect on the club and its football.

Dalglish… Oh King Kenny… In retrospect, it’s so blatantly obvious that he was being judged on a different set of expectations that I’m a little sick. Both the supporters and owners are guilty of this, so I don’t want to hear any of the anti-FSG rants due to this. We all expected King Kenny to return and save us. That was never likely to happen in the time-frame he was being given. Was it possible? Yes, but he would’ve had to have made some very good signings prior to the 2011-2012 season. Obviously, the majority of his signings have flopped or at best taken an eternity to bed-in. With the amount of money spent and the very marginal improvement, it’s not very surprising Kenny was sacked. Looking back, it’s evident that he was always a short-term fix, expected to return us to contention within the first year or so of his tenure. When we failed to improve, the managers decided for a more fundamental rebuilding/restructuring of the club. That is what has led to the hiring of Rodgers.

#2. I see a mountainous amount of mis-management that needs to be overcome. Make no mistake, we are still battling the demons of those who have long-since left the club. Moreover, it was never likely to be a battle won in a single season. Arguably, the man brought in to “right the ship”, “save us from Hodgson”, and “return our former glory” only ended up compounding it in ways. (Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not trying to lay all of the blame on Dalglish. In fact, if you remember, I was one who was against his sacking. However, by not giving him time to right his mistakes, we have sealed his second tenure as a relative failure against the goals he was hired to achieve.)

Of course, you could argue that a single managerial appointment could right see us lifted into contention. Perhaps Mourinho, Guardiola, Klopp, etc. could return instant success. Even if we were able to attract that quality of management, the success would be a one-off result and they might not stay long enough to ensure that the deeper culture within the club was established. The truth is that Liverpool is not a few tweaks away from contention. We’ve been trending downward for too long to really achieve anything through tweaking and subtle shifts. We needed more fundamental change in the recently established culture.

So what are we doing here? Are we comparing these results to previous seasons in order to discredit our current manager? Are we calling for his head? Are we so fickle and obsessed with instant success that we are unable to accept the necessary steps to build the foundations of it?

Rodgers was never hired to get us into the top-four “come hell or high water”, as Dalglish was. He was never a short-term fix. Anyone who suggests otherwise is delusional and doesn’t understand the managerial side of football. Rodgers was hired with the intent of cutting the fat, making the most of a less high-profile squad, imposing a footballing identity on the pitch (which we haven’t really had since Rafa), laying the foundation for success in the not-too-distant future, and because he was young enough to be able to preside over the intended restructuring once completed. Only a few of those goals are measurable in the short-term. The most obvious is the reduction of wages and high-profile, non-performing players. Even that is a work in progress, as evidenced by Downing and Cole’s continued presence in the squad.

Am I pleased with individual results? Of course not! I was unable to watch the Villa game (mercifully), but when I saw the result I remember throwing my phone and stringing together a combination of expletives that would make a sailor blush. However, it would be a major error to judge this “project” on the individual results. It’s true we’ve underachieved in the table? It absolutely is! I hate that we only have 25 points at the half-way point. I hate that we are 10th at mid-season. Then again, our tally doesn’t accurately reflect the quality of football nor the performances up to this point in the season. Two disallowed goals (Swansea and Everton) have cost us a further 4 points, which would’ve put us in 8th and 4 more points from 5th. Moreover, one-off defensive lapses in at least two more games (Manchester City and Sunderland) have cost us at least 4 more points. Then there is the travesty against officiating that was the ManU match… (I apologize. My bias is showing.) The point is that while we haven’t exactly set the league on fire, we have been competitive in almost all of our matches. The number of truly poor performances can be counted on one hand: Arsenal, Aston Villa and Stoke, with the inclusion of Udinese in Europe and Swansea in the League Cup. I know that “good” performances don’t mean anything in terms of the table. But, they do mean something when you’re building a new culture/mentality within a young squad.

In summary, I will be shocked to see Rodgers go any time before the summer of 2013. I think he will be given two full seasons to achieve true improvement in the league. You can garner that much from his statements to the media. “This season was always going to be about cutting costs…” etc. I honestly doubt that he’s being held to the same goals being set for him by the media and some groups of supporters. My biggest fear for this season isn’t that we finish 8th again. My biggest fear is that we revolt against the exact remedy that the club needs in the long term. Sometimes the most bitter medicine is precisely what you need to cure what ails you. I’m not saying that the he or the management should be immune to criticism, but we seem to be dangerously close to the “Rodgers out” mentality that some media outlets are edging towards. Let’s criticize individual performances and not retrospective appointments, at least not at this point. The sooner we accept that the last thing the club needs is yet another managerial change, the better off we will be. I understand that many don’t like Rodgers’s style of management or play as much as I do, and that is fine. Honestly, this isn’t about the man. This is about the club and what more upheaval will do to it. If Rodgers goes, does anyone honestly think we’re better off taking our chances in the market again? Remember that our second interviewee over the summer was Martinez… How is Wigan doing this season? Another option may be Lambert… Apart from the result against us, would you trade our season for Villa’s? Let’s just back the manager, as it appears he’s here for the long term.

Therefore, I say it again: I don’t see the point of these threads.

(Steps down off of soap box.)
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