I hope so. This is what I would be doing, btw, migs clyne skrtel sakho moreno ..........milner henderson...... ...ibe......coutinho........firmino ...........benteke............... With Can and Sturridge and Lallana and Markovic and Lovgren the main interlopers............
I'll say one thing for James Milner - he makes up for a lack of truly top class abuility by fitness, tenacity and never say die attitude. Reminds me of Jamie Carra in that sense. But I don't think he is "good" enough to start in midfield in a title winning side. His stint at City sort of backs that therory up. He's a bit like my old buddy Dirk Kuyt in that respect, he'll never give up or stop giving 110%, but the team will miss out over the course of each season on the possibility of a few key killer passes which might have made the difference from playmaking areas to the Sturridges and Torreses, etc .... With these kinds of players it really becomes more a question of a manager's refining tastes and so-on .. not of the player's value as a player. It'll be interesting to see what exactly occurs with Milner (and/or Hendo) next season.
He certainly has his use in a squad over the course of a 55 game season. He has 15+ combined goals/assists thus far - exceeded my expectations on that front.
Milner has been a good acquisition - he's just not someone to 'build the team around' - he's one of the 'piano movers', and he's quite good in that role
Milner's distribution has always been in question yet he shows he has a good pair of lungs...tbh, I sometimes think he has been instructed to play this way but he is better than ppl give credit
How many players who had played the entire 90 would have/could have (or even seen) the run he made after the free kick to get the pass from Studge and make that cross to Lovren? Even if it's a play he is 'supposed' to make, how many would make it after all the running he did? He's a keeper in my book - not always a sure starter, but definitely a keeper.
right on, syko. I'm a l-o-n-g way away from being his biggest fan, but that was superb running, truly an excellent captain's contribution followed by a great cross. magic.
I liked this bit As for the player's reputation which has inspired the Twitter spoof Boring James Milner, Klopp has an unusual explanation. 'Perhaps it is having the same haircut since Leeds,' he laughs. 'It could not be further from the truth. He is a proper English professional with the humour and big mouth. He is a very funny person.'
Hate that comparison with Barry. Barry is a bloody carthorse and a slow liability. Nowhere near the energy or fitness of BJ.
One of my all time favorite non-Liverpool players before he came. First name on the team sheet for me.
I didn't like him at all before Liverpool and before left back. Playing half back for England alongside Johnson, when Johnno would make a run I felt his job would be to cover that hole behind but more often as not, he'd be running alongside Johnno and leaving a bigger hole behind. Then Johnno would get the blame for the long ball back over the top. Now he has his "own " wing and runs it well.
Neither did I. Rodgers tried to indulge him a central berth but he's no great shakes there. Excellent on the flank, though, and it's all about deploying a player to his strengths whatever his wishes which is what Klopp had excellently done.
And to think Rafa wanted to sign Barry from Villa c.2009 so badly that it unsettled Alonso enough to leave for Madrid (or so the story goes).
Yeah, I remember that. Rafa pissed off more than Alonzo. I'd like to say that Alonzo was slowing down around then, gave away a lot of yellows. But he fitted in really well with Real's system.
Just came across this ...... we need to get an early pen in as many games as possible ... Starting with his first strike for Leeds on Boxing Day 2002 when he was 16, James Milner is on a run of 46 games in which he's scored and his team has not lost - a joint Premier League record he holds with retired ex-England forward Darius Vassell.
Darius Vassell - he was always one of my first purchases on CM 01/02, best used as a super sub. Played so much of that version while watching the world cup in 02.