Posted by Chris Rowland on May 22nd, 2013
By Jagdesh Singh (TTT subscriber Aquaman) and Andrew Beasley. As we approach the end of Rodgers’ first full season as Liverpool Football Club manager, Jagdesh came up with the idea of this Report Card to assess how Brendan’s done in his first year, and asked for Beez’s and Paul’s support and involvement. We’re using TTT as the platform [...]
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By Paul Tomkins. What follows is an article detailing my thoughts on the season, with a heavily edited-down version sent to the official website for publication at some point this week. The full, in-depth version will appear only on this website, for Subscribers.
By Chris Rowland. Is Glen another of our conundrums? Is he good or isn’t he? Is he criminally under-rated (as some think) or a bit over-rated? Or have we got him about right? Let’s see what our panel think …. This article is for Subscribers only.
By Mihail Vladimirov. Rodgers reverted back to the usual 4-2-3-1 formation, leading to few subsequent changes. Skrtel (fit again after his illness) and Enrique replaced Coates and Wisdom in the back four. Elsewhere, Shelvey was replaced by Ibe, who was making his first team debut. For the visitors, Taarabt and Samba were unavailable. Surprisingly, Redknapp [...]
By Paul Tomkins. This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of Liverpool’s victory over Nottingham Forest, regarded by many to be the club’s finest ever, and arguably one that few sides in world football have bettered. With this in mind, I have watched the whole match again and provided my thoughts in an article that will [...]
By Gary Fulcher, Daniel Rhodes and Mihail Vladimirov. Liverpool travel to the Madejski Stadium on Saturday – 3pm kick off UK time – where they face bottom side Reading in what will be just the tenth official meeting between the two sides. The Reds secured a 1-0 victory at Anfield back in December with Raheem [...]
By Bob Pearce and Mihail Vladimirov. Through, over or around? The more we talk the more I have become interested in what seems like a key patch of grass. It is the strip between the edge of the box and the start of the final third. In terms of lines of play it is the [...]
By Paul Tomkins The following article comprises an interview I gave to the Norwegian Supporters’ Club magazine, which will appear (translated into Norwegian) in the next issue, due out at the end of April. Subscribers to this site can read it now, in English. This post is for Subscribers only.
By Si Steers. There cannot be many football clubs with a more complex cultural fabric than Liverpool FC. In many ways the club represents more than football: it is an institution with a deep rooted socialist core that reflects the people of the City. Mes que un club indeed. Without doubt it was Bill Shankly [...]
By Mihail Vladimirov. Rodgers continued with an unchanged side but tweaked his formation slightly. Last week against Aston Villa it was 4-1-2-3. Now, with Henderson as the most advanced midfielder, the shape was more of a 4-2-1-3. For the visitors, Reid was omitted due to a problem with his thigh – Tomkins came into the [...]
By Chris Rowland. I put ‘Who’s for ale this summer?’ at first. Subliminal. On to this week’s question, which was ‘which players would you look to sell in the summer, and how much money do you think they could bring in?’ Answers are below, starting with mine: Let’s start with the obvious – Andy Carroll. [...]
Welcome to TTT’s regular statistical round-up of Liverpool FC for 2012/13. We’ll be looking at some important metrics (Clear Cut Chances, Total Shots Ratio and Final Third Passing Accuracy) and some that might be of interest in a Brendan Rodgers team (Average Passing Streak). The stats will cover the match Liverpool have just played (all being [...]
By Chris Rowland. Here we go then – our first monthly spin on the insane transfer gossip merry-go-round we could call The Tomkins Times Transfer Talk Tracker (or T6!). The plan is to make it a regular monthly event, if my sanity holds up. Some conclusions sprang to mind in the process of compiling it; that most [...]
By Gary Fulcher, Daniel Rhodes and Mihail Vladimirov. Liverpool host West Ham United at Anfield on Sunday – 1.30pm kick off UK time – with Brendan Rodgers’ side sitting four places and 12 points above Sam Allardyce’s Hammers who occupy 11th having picked up 36 points. The corresponding fixture in 2010/11 saw the Reds record a [...]
By Paul Tomkins. If there’s one area of the team that has failed to function this season it’s the central defence. The attacking play has grown increasingly proficient, with Philippe Coutinho adding the ability to take players on, score goals and most impressively, thread sumptuous passes through the hole in the bit of fluff in [...]
By Mihail Vladimirov. For the home team, Lambert had to make one change to the XI which won the last two games. In defence Clark had an arm injury so in came Bennett to play left back, with Baker moving alongside Vlaar. Interestingly though, Aston Villa’s formation was tweaked from 4-1-2-3 to more of a [...]
By Arnar Steinsson. “We are one club compared to what it was then”. The words of Frank McParland on the day that Brendan Rodgers and a group of first team players visited the Academy at Kirkby at the end of February. A long road has been travelled and countless hours of hard work put in [...]
Welcome to TTT’s regular statistical round-up of Liverpool FC for 2012/13. We’ll be looking at some important metrics (Clear Cut Chances, Total Shots Ratio and Final Third Passing Accuracy) and some that might be of interest in a Brendan Rodgers team (Average Passing Streak). The stats will cover the match Liverpool have just played (all being [...]
By Gary Fulcher, Daniel Rhodes and Mihail Vladimirov. Liverpool travel to Villa Park on Sunday – 1.30pm kick off UK time – hoping to prevent Paul Lambert’s relegation strugglers from completing a first league ‘double’ over us since the 1992/93 campaign, when they recorded a 4-2 win at Villa Park and a 2-1 victory at [...]
After another seemingly interminable international break – just when our players ought to be itching to get out there and put right what went wrong at St.Mary’s – we asked our panel how much they care about international football and whether it matters to them. One- or two-word answers were strongly discouraged. By Daniel Rhodes: [...]
By Chris Rowland. When I think of Bill Shankly, I think of how he spoke – as distinctive as a speech by Churchill or a song by Sinatra. Yet reading this book I didn’t hear that voice. I didn’t hear ‘todee we pleed wi’ greet coheesion, eeeh…’ Instead I hear a measured, ordered, calculating yet [...]
By TTT Subscriber Alex Tate. We know of Houllier’s one-dimensional counter attacking style. We know that Rafa prized balance and that Hodgson liked it in the air. But did Brendan believe Dalglish’s defence was solid enough not to need adjusting? With the perception that Rodgers is bringing in more attack minded players, is he attempting [...]
By Tony Mckenna (macattack). The Southampton game, like the Anfield defeat to Villa, halted any burgeoning optimism. In the midst of defeat, some TTTers have referred to the fact that more people contribute to the ‘Comments’ section than when we have won. As puzzling as this seems, I thought I would attempt to place this [...]
By Dan Kennett. The Tomkins Times was fortunate to receive another invite to a Liverpool fansite & bloggers meeting, this time at the Academy in Kirkby. Along with other notable sites, were able to spend a fascinating hour talking to Academy director Frank McParland, Academy technical director/ Head of coaching Rodolfo Borrell and U21s manager [...]
By Paul Tomkins. I can hear the response already. “Selling Suarez makes sense? Are you kidding me?” As a fully paid-up member of the unofficial Luis Suarez fan club – although which Liverpool fan isn’t? – I don’t say those words lightly. First of all, let me introduce some essential caveats. It would make sense [...]
By Dan Kennett. I’m very interested in the sporting psychology around “mentality”, “baggage” and “scarring”. I believe that most sportsmen become scarred by repeated losses and defeat. The starting point for this is that since the start of the 2009/10 Premier League season, Liverpool have lost one in three games. The Reds’ full record is [...]
Written by Mihail Vladimirov. Both teams lined-up largely as expected (with identical 4-2-3-1 formations), except a few niggles for Liverpool prevented them keeping an unchanged XI. The Saints made only one change from their last game at Norwich, Clyne returned to right back, Yoshida moved central and Jose Fonte was on the bench. Pochettino continued [...]
Welcome to TTT’s regular statistical round-up of Liverpool FC for 2012/13. We’ll be looking at some important metrics (Clear Cut Chances, Total Shots Ratio and Final Third Passing Accuracy) and some that might be of interest in a Brendan Rodgers team (Average Passing Streak). The stats will cover the match Liverpool have just played (all being [...]
Given that if we are to have any European football next season, it’s far more likely to be the Europa rather than the Champions League, we asked our panel ‘Do you want us to qualify for next year’s Europa League?’, slipped into our protective suits and hard hats and awaited the cry of ‘incoming’. Here’s [...]
