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eurotour07

Listed below are comments made by eurotour07 between Thursday, 1st January 2009 and Wednesday, 25th November 2009.

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Benitez under spotlight after Champions League exit 12:28pm on 25 Nov 2009 Liverpool's problems have been more than the matter of losing Gerrard and Torres. I don't doubt that things wouldn't have been as bad had the duo been fit but there are problems that no-one could have predicted at the start of the season.

The loss of form of both Carragher and Skrtel could not have been anticipated, align that to the reduction of height in the Liverpool team and you can see why we are conceding so much more frequently from set pieces. In past seasons, Hyypia was a tower in defence, while Lucas and Mascherano are much shorter than Alonso and Sissoko. This is notwithstanding the diminuitive Reina who, though excellent, is small for a goalkeeper.

Throw into the mix, the loss of Torres who is excellent in set piece defending with his aerial ability and Reira, whose skill in the air is often overlooked and it's plain to see why Liverpool have been so vulnerable in defence.

There is no doubt that Liverpool's replacement for Robbie Keane, the unimaginably useless Voronin, has been completely inadequate. However, N'Gog has been better than expected and had Liverpool been winning, his ability would surely have been championed. I don't think Liverpool's squad is the garbage that is made out.

When one considers that the subs bench of a fully fit Liverpool squad would read: Cavalieri, Skrtel, Insua, Lucas, Reira, Babel, N'Gog. These are adequate replacements. Even the few behind this aren't terrible, Degen, El Zhar and Dossena are reasonable players. However, to have Aquilani, Benayoun, Reira, Babel, Gerrard, Torres, Aurelio, Johnson, Dossena, El Zhar and Agger all missing for chunks of the season, then it's obvious that the team will suffer on the pitch.
Torres, Drogba or Rooney - who's the best? 10:49am on 02 Oct 2009 I'm sorry, but I have to debate the issue of discipline. If I try and think of ant strikers that are more undisciplined than Wayne Rooney, I really do struggle. Drogba is bad too, but his are much less frequent. It is very rare to see Rooney remain calm at 1-0 down with 50 mins gone. He'll be remonstrating with referees and players and this is much worse if his team goes two down.

People may say his temperament has gotten better, but I disagree, I just think its so infrequent that games are going against Man U that there is no need for him to get wound up. That said, he can still lose it when the game just has added pressure, rather than the team being down.

As such on a discipline basis I would rate them as:

Torres 9
Drogba 6
Rooney 4

Having said that I would rate their finishing abilities as

Torres 9
Drogba 8
Rooney 7

I would also add the category of consistency

Torres 8
Drogba 6
Rooney 7

Torres loses out because of his european form, Drogba suffers due to too many low scoring seasons and Rooney could move up in this category if he plays as a striker for the foreseeable future.
Battered Washington still chasing gold 11:33am on 15 Jun 2009 Fantastic piece, an absolutlely compelling read. This is the kind of story that would make a fantastic book or film!

It's great to hear that Tyree will get the gold he deserves but the key point is that there is no financial recompense for those that lose out through others actions.

Maybe a special fund could be set up for those in Tyree's position, but I doubt that will ever happen. It essentially means that sporting bodies are admitting that cheats can get away with taking money from the authorities and other athletes.

It's great that the man is trying to fight back through education after all he has been through, there are many who would've fallen into pitfalls and personal problems given the same situation.
Experience matters in management stakes 12:35pm on 20 May 2009 I think it goes without saying that managerial experience is vital for success.

However, I think there are a number of facets to the problems that develop in England and the English management system.

Firstly, there are design flaws inherent in the system. To get the top jobs in England you have to have a good track record and generally, a good amount of success. However, the top clubs almost have a monopoly on the trophies. Thus, British managers generally will never have the success to get the top jobs, unless they move abroad and enjoy success there.

Secondly, if you are a young ambitious manager in the lower leagues and a Premiership team asks for your services, are you going to turn them down? Of course not, the money is good and the chance to work at the highest level is an opportunity not to be balked at. However, if you dont start well you may get the sack before you've had the chance to prove yourself. Or if you start well but have a bad season overall and get sacked you may not get a job again.

This is exacerbated by the fact that if you turn down the offer to work at a higher level, you are generally labelled 'a bottler' and deemed not to have the mental attributes to work at the top.

Indeed, life is tough for the inexperienced manager, particularly if they are already famous from their playing days.
Benitez must blank out Ferguson 7:05pm on 18 May 2009 As soon as I heard the interview I knew the press would have a field day. Rafa was deliberate in congratulating the players and not Ferguson.

Quite frankly, I prefer to be gracious in defeat and in triumph and I would've thought Rafa would do the same. As mentioned earlier, Ferguson sent a congratulatory letter to Rafa following the Istanbul win and thats probably how things should be done.

Having said that I think there is some method to Rafa's madness. Time after time, if Ferguson makes a comment to the media about another team or manager it is always construed as 'Fergie turns the heat up' or something to that effect. Whereas any manager who responds to his comments is portrayed as a mental wreck.

Ultimately it stems from the time where Keegan allowed Fergie to get under his skin. However, I don't think the same can be said about most other managers who have has verbal battles with him. Certainly the demolition job at Old Trafford proved that Rafa hadn't 'cracked up' as was the parlance at the time.

In fact (pardon the pun) Rafa had his best ever season when the mind games were active, unlike the past where Liverpool have been largely ignored. I feel this derogatory attitude isn't quite right, but if ultimately it ends up with results, maybe Rafa will be deemed the master of mind games.
Liverpool on road to glory 09:34am on 10 May 2009 #3 I can understand your frustration of a tendency to focus on the top rather than the bottom but I think that there is a sensible reason as to why Liverpool are the focus of McNulty this week.

The story of a 3-0 win at West Ham has the potential to become a huge story today. Unlikely though it may be, if Utd drop points Liverpool's win takes on much greater significance.

Furthermore, the real picture of the relegation battle this weekend doesn't really take shape until after Monday and the possible make or break North East Derby. Therefore, Monday makes more sense, in terms of timing, to look at the drop.
Downcast Benitez fears worst 12:23pm on 22 Apr 2009 I was absolutely stunned theat Liverpool didn't win the game last night. 26 shots 13 on target 4 goals for Liverpool. 8 shots 4 on target 4 goals for Arsenal. Not only that but the number of clearnaces by Liverpool - always an indication of attacking pressure 13. Arsenal made a staggering 92 clearances.

Arshavin was magic, but Liverpool really should have won the game comfortably at 2-1 it was time to see the game out rather than push for more goals.
How to build a sporting dynasty 4:09pm on 26 Mar 2009 All this talk of Paisley, Rafa, Shankley v Ferguson is ridiculous. This article is highlighting two managers who are currently plying their trade and have had sustained success at the highest level. The article offers a mere glimpse of some of the atributes needed to have such a long period of success and an insight into an excellent rugby league coach's personality.

A very interesting read, I might add. However, it seems unfortunate that such a good piece has lowered itself into a Liverpool v Man Utd debate, and this is coming from a Liverpool fan!
Moyes & O'Neill lead by example 12:02pm on 14 Feb 2009 I was surprised that Man City targeted Hughes over Moyes when they were looking for a new coach. Moyes is a better manager in my opinion and is someone would might be persuaded to leave. He has done a fantastic job at Everton but with the problems of a stadium move and a chairman who can't offer the money to give Everton that extra quality needed a move away could prove tempting.

It's clear that Moyes enjoys being the boss of Everton but surely a project that could catapult a team to the pinnacle of world football would be one that Moyes would have to consider.

Of course this all changes if Everton find an investor, but with money not forthcoming a new challenge musn't be a million miles from the Scotsman's considerations.
Robbo's 2009 predictions (part 2) 7:37pm on 01 Jan 2009 A few continuity errors there Robbo, the Man City thing and Hamilton switching from an Austin Allegro to a Twingo.

However, as far as mock predictions go, I thought this was pretty funny.

Keep it up.

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