Biscan??

[655321]

His first season he played hardly any matches but somehow ended up getting at two red cards that I can remember (including one in the derby). His first full season has been a bit hit or miss, but recently, he's just been pure shite. Do we stick with him??

[Twenty26Six]

You have to stick with him until you can find a better centre half. Biscan is just around b/c Houllier doesn't like Henchoz/Hyypia anymore. Frankly, neither do I. They are both slow, both play absent minded long balls, and are both getting up in age. All of Houllier's transfers have been questionable, b/c for the most part they have all been for youth. 2001 was an 'over-our-heads' performance. Like it or not, Liverpool has been a team in transition, and will continue to be that for at least one more year. Biscan provides cover. Maybe when Carragher/Finnan are 100% match fit, his run in the side will end. But for now, you have to keep him.

[655321]

Originally posted by kold_77_krush
...Houllier doesn't like Henchoz/Hyypia anymore. Frankly, neither do I. They are both slow, both play absent minded long balls, and are both getting up in age.

29 and 30, respectively...

[Gabbage]

On current form, Biscan is a liability, so he must be dropped for a few matches. But I think he should be restored to the starting lineup as soon as possible. When Hyypia and Henchoz play together, Hamann sits back too deep to protect them, and any attempt at possession-based attacking football is abandoned.

I am not at all happy with what happened at Wolves; when Henchoz came on, Liverpool sat back and invited Wolves to attack for 45 minutes. Perhaps on another occassion the team would have been able to hold out and even score on the counterattack. But then we are back to where we were last season and no one wants that, right?

Houllier must resist the urge to go back to the tactics that worked at Stamford Bridge. In that game he was missing no less than six key players so it made sense to play for a draw. Now that his "big four" are back, Houllier should go back to the expansive attacking football that he experimented with early in the season. Rather than playing deep (and getting pinned down in the penalty box), the team must keep possession upfield and close down opponents quickly when possession is lost. This way, opposition attacks can be broken up in midfield rather than in the final third, and players would be better positioned to launch their own attack when possession is regained.

While I don't say this without regret, the days of the Hyypia-Henchoz partnership are surely over. I realize there are plenty of people who believe that Biscan will never be a great defender and perhaps they are justified in their opinion. Well, he can be replaced - with a better, more reliable player - in the transfer market. But for the next four months we must stick with Biscan.

[Gabbage]

Originally posted by kold_77_krush
But for now, you have to keep him.

My sentiments exactly.

[Twenty26Six]

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/team/squad?id=364&cc=5901

Dudek - 31
Henchoz - 30
Hyypia - 31
Smicer - 31

Sinama - 20
Le Tallec - 20
Baros - 23
Diouf - 23
Kirkland - 23
Gerrard - 24
Owen - 25
Kewell - 26
Heskey - 26
Carragher - 26

This is a bit off topic, but staying with the trend of examining young signings. Biscan is still only 26. He may not be the next great centre half, but he can provide cover for a few years. The core of this team is so young. Most guys 2 to 3 years away from their prime. Even Heskey has years to get better. The expectations on this squad are very high, and maybe Houllier didn't help any, but I still think he put together a relatively good group of players. The only real question remains, is who from the second list is going to be sold for a centre half to replace Biscan. Who would replace Biscan?

[655321]

Well, I don't know that Biscan isn't the guy for us...but since you asked...yea, I'm quite sure LFC has a big enough name and pocketbook to sign a better central defender than Igor Biscan, if necessary.

[oojason]

A tough call - I thought he started out quite well this season at centre-back, but recently errors have crept into his game and they have been punished.

I don't think LFC can win the Prem title with him as a CB, and therefore we should look to offload a talented player who would no doubt do well in Spain or France where the pace of the game is not as frenetic.

[RedKnight]

Originally posted by Gabbage
On current form, Biscan is a liability, so he must be dropped for a few matches. But I think he should be restored to the starting lineup as soon as possible.

I may be guilty of the most anti-Igor posts over the past couple of weeks, but having calmed down a bit, I think you're right. We will need to rejuvenate the center of our defense relatively soon; and Igor probably has got to take part in that transition, at least for the balance of this season.

Right now, however, he should take a few matches in the reserves, rather than inclusion in the first team. Get his form and/or nerves back . . . then bring him back.

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[Twenty26Six]

Originally posted by 655321
Well, I don't know that Biscan isn't the guy for us...but since you asked...yea, I'm quite sure LFC has a big enough name and pocketbook to sign a better central defender than Igor Biscan, if necessary.

They most certainly do.. but three things.

One - Who CB do you bring in that has that 'build around' quality. I can't think of that many guys that would fit the Liverpool and/or Premiership system.

Two - [And I think the Front Office sees this too] Why now? Wait two years, sew up the key gys with contracts for a long time. [Kewell, Owen, Gerrard, Kirkland] Then as Arse/ManU have aged. Make your push. *_I know it is aggravating seeing them struggle in the 5-7th spots._* But have some foresight.

Three - Get the new stadium plans off the ground. More season tickets = More revenue = Better staff/signings/youth academy. New Anfield by '05? Treble by '07?

I don't think it is necessarily the Biscans' or Cheyrous' fault for our troubles. It's the shaky team defense, horrible long ball, injuries, and missed finishes. But if you ask me if we are better now then before Houllier came. I gotta say yes...

[RedKnight]

BTW, in case no-one else has yet, let me say: welcome, kold_77_krush.

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[Twenty26Six]

Originally posted by RedKnight
BTW, in case no-one else has yet, let me say: welcome, kold_77_krush.

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Thank You.

[Gabbage]

I like him too. :)

Though if I may rant here, no one welcomed me when I started posting except SuperElf! Sadly, I have not seen him post for weeks.

[Gabbage]

Originally posted by kold_77_krush
They most certainly do.. but three things.

One - Who CB do you bring in that has that 'build around' quality. I can't think of that many guys that would fit the Liverpool and/or Premiership system.

Well, this was supposed to be Boumsong, but incredibly, he decided to spend the rest of his career in Scotland. Houllier does not need a defender that he can "build around" - that's Hyypia, and he's good for at least one more season. What is necessary now is a solid defender with a lot of pace. Kevin Hofland of PSV Eindhoven meets this requirement and is reportedly being considered. An even better player is Metzelder who was linked with Liverpool at the start of last season. Unfortunately, he is probably out of Houllier's price range. I thought Dortmund may have to accept a cut-price transfer bid due to their current financial crisis, but clearly I was wrong or Chelsea would have bought him already. :)

[Twenty26Six]

Originally posted by Gabbage
What is necessary now is a solid defender with a lot of pace. Kevin Hofland of PSV Eindhoven meets this requirement and is reportedly being considered. An even better player is Metzelder who was linked with Liverpool at the start of last season. Unfortunately, he is probably out of Houllier's price range.

I'll have to do some research on Hofland. Unfortunately I have been sleeping on the Eredevisie games on FoxSportsWorld. I might have to start paying attention.

Dortmund is gonna have to do something. They are in fiscal crisis. However though, it seems like Rosicky is already looking for the door. I'm not sure they'd be dumb enough to unload both of those guys. It's not like they are in Leeds type debt.

At one time I was still hoping that Carragher would step up to be the lead CB. I think Houllier thought this too. [JC was also supposed to be able to play DMF] Somewhere along the line I think this plan got sidetracked. He was playing a lot of RB and LB, because of Babbel/Xavier not pulling their weight. Then he got hurt. I think that is when all this Biscan/CB business started.

I could care less about Boumsong. Djribil Cisse telling us every other week that he is coming keeps me happy. = ) Samuel Eto'o stated last year he wanted to come over also. Although I don't know where these guys think they are gonna play? Maybe we can do the Real Madrid 2-6-2? But it is good to see that players have a huge respect for GH. I hope he can turn this around. I think he is fantastic for Liverpool. Le Tallec and Sinana will prove him genius in due time.

[RedKnight]

Originally posted by Gabbage
I like him too. :)

Though if I may rant here, no one welcomed me when I started posting except SuperElf! Sadly, I have not seen him post for weeks.

Several of us very seriously considered extending a warm welcome to you upon your arrival; the consensus, however, was that it was just too risky, that something might happen to one or more of us if we did.

SuperElf disagreed, of course.

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[655321]

Originally posted by kold_77_krush
They most certainly do.. but three things.

One - Who CB do you bring in that has that 'build around' quality. I can't think of that many guys that would fit the Liverpool and/or Premiership system.

Two - [And I think the Front Office sees this too] Why now? Wait two years, sew up the key gys with contracts for a long time. [Kewell, Owen, Gerrard, Kirkland] Then as Arse/ManU have aged. Make your push. *_I know it is aggravating seeing them struggle in the 5-7th spots._* But have some foresight.

Three - Get the new stadium plans off the ground. More season tickets = More revenue = Better staff/signings/youth academy. New Anfield by '05? Treble by '07?

I don't think it is necessarily the Biscans' or Cheyrous' fault for our troubles. It's the shaky team defense, horrible long ball, injuries, and missed finishes. But if you ask me if we are better now then before Houllier came. I gotta say yes...

Definitely better...yes, I would agree with that, as everybody should. But we've been trying to have foresight for quite awhile now, and we're still dealing with the same old difficulties. It's not that Biscan or Cheyrou are bad players, they're just playing on a team that has very little cohesiveness, confidence and team spirit, and as the new guys, they're a bit more likely to let that effect their performance. The match today was a perfect example, I thought. Hit them on a shaky counter-attack, and do our best to defend the rest of the time. We could do that three years ago, because H&H were absolutely unstoppable, but right now, Biscan isn't offering us that, and we're not really in a position right now to wait for him. I don't think the front office will give GH the amount of time you're saying we need. If we finish the season in less than fifth place (not entirely out of the question), then I can't see Gerard here next year.

EDIT...

I do think you're spot on, though, were Houllier to have that much time. I do think we have the foundations of a strong team, but we just can't afford to not have Champions League football next season, and certainly not two years from now, as well.

[Twenty26Six]

No Biscan as predicted! Needed some relief from the heat...

Cheyrou with a brace. Only people at the bus station, crying w/ bag in hand are the Toon Army.

I really think GH is a master of organizing talent, but not a great coach. I'd love to see him in the front office. He just doesn't seem to have that fire that Fergie, or Wenger have. But I'd be torn if he left us. Everyone seems to love this guy. Not to mention, he layed the groundwork for the French Nat'nl Team dominance.

I'm glad we are advancing in the FA Cup. I hope this is a stepping stone, and not a crutch like last year's Worthington Cup trophy.

[RedKnight]

Originally posted by kold_77_krush
I'm glad we are advancing in the FA Cup. I hope this is a stepping stone, and not a crutch like last year's Worthington Cup trophy.

On the Worthy . . . it wasn't so much the silverware (although some is better than none at all)--it's who we took it away from in the final last year that made that Cup special.

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[Twenty26Six]

Originally posted by RedKnight
On the Worthy . . . it wasn't so much the silverware (although some is better than none at all)--it's who we took it away from in the final last year that made that Cup special.

True. Taking anything from the Mancs is wonderful. The way their fans talked, it's as if no one has ever had a dynasty before. I mean it is so obvious that they were the first and last to do it. Them and their lonely solitary European Cup. What a joke.