Football Tweets of the week 04/08

The Football Front's 10 funniest football tweets! (In no order too!)

1.) Edinson Cavani is picking fights with Craig Bellamy and Micah Richards. He must have absolutely nothing to live for. - @CheGiavara

2.) Didier Drogba moves to China, the following month China wins the Olympic diving event... Coincidence?! - @mattlindsay2014

3.) Charlie Adam's new movie: - @talkSport

 4.) A Swiss footballer has been thrown out of the Olympics for racism. Liverpool have offered him a 4 year contract.- @FootballFunnys

5.) Alex Ferguson has said that Man United still want to bring in one or two more new faces. Wayne Rooney has asked if he can have one. - @MarioBalotelli

6.) Controllers [troll football] - @FootyMemes

7.) BREAKING NEWS: David Luiz declared injured for tomorrows game after having 100's of twiiter followers noses up his backside - @hurricanhigginz

8.) BREAKING: After letting Stuart Downing score, the FC Gomel defenders have announced their retirement from football. - @Liverfool_FC

9.)  Do woman's footballer's swap shirts at the end of the game,or am i sat here just wasting my time? - @GGJ_Gareth

10.) BREAKING: Stewart Downing scores for Liverpool, an unbelievable achievement from a guy who was told by doctors that he'd never score again. - @BBCSporf

 Be sure to follow all these guys on Twitter, you can follow us at @ReviewFootball

See last weeks funny tweets here 
 

What next for Liverpool?

Another game for Liverpool in 2012, and another defeat for Liverpool.  That’s been sequence this season for Liverpool. 

Their defeat in the FA Cup final against Chelsea was the defeat which confirmed Liverpool’s season as a devastating disappointment. 

And let’s be honest, Liverpool at times this season have been lacklustre, woeful and embarrassing to the clubs faithful supporters.

But it’s been an odd season for Liverpool supporters.

Indeed, the club reached two cup finals and they did break the club’s trophy drought which had covered a shadow over the club and symbolised Liverpool’s decline.

But at the same time, it’s been a forgettable season for Liverpool fans. It’s been a season which has left them with more questions than answers as the season has progressed. 

One of the most pressing unanswered questions is that of the King Kenny Dalglish. 

Do Liverpool stick or twist?

Do Liverpool keep him on his throne, or do the club attempt to remove him from his beloved palace. 

Indeed, there are a lot of rumours circulating than Dalglish will be ‘moved upstairs’  as it were given the vacant director of football role, while others feel he maybe shown the door as a whole.

The money men at Anfield face some tough decisions this summer. 

But the situation at especially at Anfield is abundantly clear. Liverpool have been poor, utterly poor. I mean 6 wins at home at Anfield is unacceptable. No wait, it’s not even that, it’s an offensive record for one of Europe’s greatest clubs and what has been before and what the club stands for.

But the poor record at home tells you a few interesting things.

It tells you some of the players especially the new boys, have struggled to deal with the expectations, culture and demands of playing for a club where it expected you have to win each week.

Instead of Anfield being a fortress, it’s become a ground where all the opponent has to do is virtually turn up, defend reasonably well and pick up the point on their way out.

It’s been as simple as that for Liverpool fans.

 In fact, Anfield has become a points shelter for Premier League clubs. 

There is saying amongst football fans that, you know you’re having a bad season, if Liverpool beat you at Anfield. 

But coming away from performances on the pitch, Liverpool’s performances in the transfer market have been even worse. 

Whether Liverpool keep Dalglish, or someone else comes in, Liverpool must be more rational and shrewd in the transfer market.

This season, thanks to the likes of Newcastle, the big boys in the Premier League have learnt a humble lesson.

They’ve learnt of the best things in life can be cheap and cheerful. Newcastle spent a net of around £15mill. Yet the northern club now find themselves with two fantastic and profilc strikers in Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba. While in midfield, Newcastle boast the technically gifted creator Yohan Cabaye. All of whom, cost collectively less than Andy Carroll. 

While Liverpool with their best of British transfer policy, spent hugely on distinctly average players who haven’t really added much to the side. In fact, they’ve made Rafa’s signings at Liverpool look all the more allusive and crucial to the side. 

It seems a majority of Liverpool’s summer signings, bar Craig Bellamy and perhaps even Seb Coates, have all fallen for the big club – little club syndrome. 

Yes, that syndrome. The one where the players are amazing for the respective smaller clubs, but when the big fish goes to the big pound he is nowhere to be seen. 

Yeah, that one.

But you can’t argue, the crazy valuations placed on top of their heads has not helped either. I mean, if you splash £19million on a winger, you expect a few goals and a few assists. But it’s not happened. At all.

The price tags on these new players have been like big rocks being placed on their backs in the blazing sun. They can try their best, but everyone will point out, ‘that isn’t £19million worth of quality.’ The fee that brought them to Anfield is constantly reminded to not only them but to the coaches and directors.

It seems Damien Comolli paid the price for splashing out insane figures for average players. Perhaps this is a sign, the powers that be at Anfield don’t want the same mistakes to happen again.

There has been a lot of talk amongst Liverpool fans of whether Liverpool should sell the likes of Downing, Henderson and the other new buys. I firmly believe the new players deserve another chance. Sometimes, a second season can do the players the world of good.

The pressure of not being the ‘new kid on the block’ could take away some of the pressure on them, also more importantly, chopping and changing will not help Liverpool move up the table.

If you look at the Liverpool team of 08/09, when they finished second, the spine of the team had been at the club for three years or more. It takes years to build a great competitive team, ask Fergie, ask Arsene Wenger and heck as Pep Guardiola too.

Liverpool are in the stage of forming and developing. And they won’t move out of that stage if they keep changing managers and players. 

That’s also why I think Dalglish should stay, so long as the players still believe in him. For me, Liverpool seem to be trying to implement a pass and move type of game. And for most of the season, it hasn’t worked for them. But when it has, Liverpool have at times been unplayable and if the finishing had been better, Liverpool would certainly be higher up in the table. 

But with astute additions, Liverpool have a good chance of making progress. But it is imperative Liverpool get their signings right this summer. Liverpool are currently feeling the consequences of selling very good players and replacing them poorly. Is it really surprising Liverpool have struggled to dominate midfields without people who can effectively play in-between the lines like Raul Merieles?

Success does not happen over night. Ask Man City, ask Chelsea. After years of heavy investment, Man City now only find themselves on the brink of winning the Premier League title. While Chelsea after 10 years of the Abramovich era find themselves only in their second CL final in their history.

Liverpool need to be patient, stability is the clubs best answer. And the club are fortunate in the sense they have a man who is undeniably just as determined as the fans to be successful. While some managers may get their heads turned by offers elsewhere, Dalglish isn’t one of them.

He has unfinished business at Anfield.  And if anything, this season has given him even more unfinished business.

But he must get it right this summer not only in his transfers, but his tactical decision making, in another summer of change for Liverpool. 

The team need carry on playing with the same methodology and the players must look to further establish a greater understanding. The cup final against Chelsea was a prime example. The reds played with little cohesion and struggled to even get into the Chelsea half in the first 60 minutes. 

Liverpool had no penetration, no idea and no connection between the midfield and attack. Meaning their most threatening player Luis Suarez was left to feed off scraps. 

This summer is huge for Liverpool. The club is at a cross roads. The right decisions could see them move right up the table next season. While the wrong decisions could see the club fall even further behind.

Why Liverpool's Glass is half full rather than half empty

Patience in football is a rare commodity these days. Everyone demands their team to make new signings and for these signings to pay off instantly. We then expect our teams to suddenly start challenging for honours.

But football doesn’t work like this, I wish it did. But it really doesn’t.

People often forget that when major change occurs, the team needs time to form and develop an understanding in order to become something that all teams crave for. And that is to become a team.

Liverpool have been a victim of this since Fenway Sports Group have taken over. People expect Liverpool to suddenly start challenging for the title and to dominate.

Some view Liverpool’s showings this season as under average, poor and lacklustre. In some games, this has well and truly been the case. But most of time this hasn’t been entirely the case.

If one delves deep into Liverpool’s performances, statistics and progress, one can see a different story being told.

The story being written is, Liverpool are a team still a work in progress.

Indeed, many have heavily criticised Liverpool’s transfer dealings since Fenway Sports Group took over. Often people have branded some of their signings as ‘average,’ ‘mediocre,’ and simply not good enough for a team who want to break back into the Champions League.

A few years ago, Liverpool were constantly criticised for not being able to create enough chances.

But this isn’t entirely the case anymore. Liverpool have created 319 chances, which is the 5^th best in the division. In fact, Liverpool have created more chances than League Champions Man United. That put things into serious perspective doesn’t it?

The likes of Henderson, Downing and Adam have been crucial in creating chances for Liverpool. Adam was signed this summer to create from midfield and that’s exactly what he’s done. Charlie Adam has assisted 6 times for Liverpool this season. Considering Liverpool’s highest assistor last season was Dirk Kuyt with 8 assists, Adam’s assist record is rather impressive.However, fellow new signing Stewart Downing has failed to impress many. After all he hasn’t assisted at all for the reds in his short Liverpool career. Perhaps his failure to impress has stemmed from Liverpool’s lack of finesse this season.

Liverpool have scored just 28 goals this season. Bolton, have scored the same amount of goals as Liverpool. Not only this, Bolton’s fellow relegation candidates, Blackburn, have scored more than Liverpool too (34 goals).

This highlights the problem at Liverpool. They need to be more clinical. In fact the team have the lowest conversion rate in the whole league. 8.5% of their shots have been converted to goals. Indeed, it is utterly woeful and as the saying goes, if you can’t score, you can’t win.Perhaps this is an area where the Liverpool players deserve criticism. After all, the team have failed to capitalize on their dominance because of their poor finishing. There is no doubt, the likes of Andy Carroll, Luis Suarez, Steven Gerrard, Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing need to buck their ideas up in front of goal.

The damaging effects of this toothlessness in front of goal is especially visible when one looks at Liverpool’s home form.

This season, Liverpool have won just 4 home games this season. The Red’s have drawn 8 of their 12 home games this season. This speaks volumes about the goal scoring saga at Liverpool. What makes things worse is that in most home games, the players have created good chances, but either fantastic saves or woeful finishing has ended up being costly for Liverpool.

While Liverpool’s home form hasn’t been fantastic, they must be doing something right at home, as Liverpool along with Man City are the only two Premier League sides who remain unbeaten at home. Not only this, in all competitions, Liverpool are the only team in the Premier League who are unbeaten at home.

This is exceptional, Anfield may not be a conventional fortress, but the fact of the matter is, teams often leave Anfield without being able to defeat the home side. It is this notion as to why, Liverpool’s glass is half full rather than half empty. As the team have the foundations in place to be a team worthy of challenging. But this is hugely dependent on Liverpool bucking up their ideas in front of goal.

On the road, Liverpool have shown signs of huge promise too. The Reds have now won 6 times on the road. Last season, the team only won 5 times on the road. This improvement from last season is a clear indicator of the sides progress and rectification of their past failures.

Another of these past failures, which were arguably a big cause to Liverpool’s downfall in Rafa Benitez final term at Liverpool and Roy Hodgson’s tenure, was that the team conceded far too many goals.

But this season, things have been far different . Liverpool have the second best defensive record in the division, with only 21 goals being conceded. Not only this, Pepe Reina has the most clean sheets in the division with 10 clean sheets. This is exceptional. Liverpool have managed to immerse a very attacking philosophy with a system which does not leak many goals. The likes of Daniel Agger, Martin Skrtel and Jose Enrique deserve huge amounts of praise for tightening Liverpool’s backline.

What’s intriguing about Liverpool’s defensive record is the five regular starters are mostly, Pepe Reina, Glen Johnson, Martin Skrtel, Daniel Agger and Jose Enrique. 4 out of the 5 have been at the club for more than three years. Perhaps this could suggest, if the players are settled and have an understanding in the squad, they have a better chance of doing their job more effectively.

If one takes a look at Liverpool’s offensive unit, most of the attackers haven’t been at the club for long. Some a few months, while others such as Suarez and Carroll have been at the club for just over a year. It’s clear as the defensive record shows, time, patience and further hard work is needed in order for Liverpool to achieve their long term aims. Liverpool’s attack need to continue to forge an understanding between themselves.

Liverpool are half way there from being a side capable of challenging for honours. Defensively the team are sound as anything. While at home, Liverpool are unconquerable. And perhaps more crucially, the team are creating the chances and are winning away from home too.

But patience is key to Liverpool’s progress. The club is still building a team. The process of building a team can takes years. Just look at Man City. Even with a bottomless pit of cash, it took Man City 4 years to build a team capable of challenging for the Premier League.

Liverpool are still in the forming stage of their building process. But the foundations are in place to give Liverpool the potential to be a side who can seriously question teams in England and across Europe. Indeed, one has to see their route to the Carling Cup final as a sign of the team's clear progression.

It’s imperative, Liverpool continue to build and carry on the positive work from this season.

After all, the glass is not half empty. The glass is half full if anything.


Statistics from EPL Index. (Stats taken on 7/02/12)