76

General Football & Sports / Re: Jake Livermore

« on: July 27, 2022, 12:07:15 PM »

Johnstone has moved to a mid table EPL club, so all those continually berating him now look to have egg on the faces, sure he wasn't perfect, but he's now bettered himself.

Robinson has been infinitely better than Burke, who was £15m of trash, what is the exact problem with Robinson.

Bartley cost £400,000 probably worth what we paid.

Livermore £11m say no more......

77

General Football & Sports / Re: Jake Livermore

« on: July 27, 2022, 11:39:45 AM »

Your argument loses all credibility when you come out with garbage like this.

Your hatred for JL just shines through in all of your posts.

And anyone who treats a player with contempt for honouring a contract we've dished out to them is a prat of the highest order. It is uncalled for and quite frankly unacceptable.

You know what winds me up, people having a pop at Johnstone and Robinson, whilst saying nothing regarding Livermore.

Livermore is an £11m liability.

Just the ex Villa connection then.....

78

General Football & Sports / Re: Jake Livermore

« on: July 27, 2022, 11:37:51 AM »

Your argument loses all credibility when you come out with garbage like this.

Your hatred for JL just shines through in all of your posts.

And anyone who treats a player with contempt for honouring a contract we've dished out to them is a prat of the highest order. It is uncalled for and quite frankly unacceptable.

You calling me a prat, just as well you are a moderator because if that is the other way around it is a forum ban!

79

General Football & Sports / Re: Callum Robinson

« on: July 27, 2022, 11:35:41 AM »

if you read what people have said about him then you'd understand people's criticisms about him, can't remember the last time someone mentioned him being ex-Villa.

Cost us nothing and a hat trick at the team who won the European Cup.  What exactly are we criticising here?  Nothing to see in my opinion.

80

General Football & Sports / Re: Callum Robinson

« on: July 27, 2022, 11:10:37 AM »

What exactly is the issue with Callum Robinson and WBA fans.  Are we narrow minded enough to just abuse him because he is ex Villa.  Because that is childish in the extreme.

We have far worse players at the club that are just bleeding us in wages.

81

General Football & Sports / Re: Jake Livermore

« on: July 27, 2022, 11:08:26 AM »

You can keep banging the same drum but if he wants to see out his contract he's perfectly entitled to and all the bellyaching in the world won't change that.

JL should be treated with contempt for outstaying his welcome at WBA. 

82

General Football & Sports / Re: Jake Livermore

« on: July 27, 2022, 11:00:06 AM »

If we pidgeon-hole Livermore as defensive midfield, then Molumby is a better play at doing that anyway.

Net result is Livermore is not required at WBA.

83

General Football & Sports / Re: Jake Livermore

« on: July 27, 2022, 10:57:48 AM »

How many times did I bang on about that last season? The number of times we put balls dangerous balls across the area was ridiculous. I remember there were somewhere around 15 or 16 before Val even left. Good forwards and we would've got half a dozen goals from them alone, easily.

Now, contrast that with the friendly against Hertha. Two crosses from wide were converted by two NEW additions in Swift and Dike. Is that a co-incidence? I don't think so.

The first one Grady beats a man then crosses first time, the second one Wallace crosses first time. Because of this forwards know how to time their run. If it were Matt Phillips instead of Wallace he'd have fainted to cross, come back on his left foot, fainted again before probably crossing with his right foot. That's no good but he does it all the time. Defenders can set themselves and forwards can't time a run if they don't know the ball is coming in.

It's a two way thing, delivery has to be good and it has to be early but you need forwards that have the quality and instinct to make the right runs at the right times. We didn't have that last season.

The fact that Livermore or Molumby for that matter gets criticised for lack of creativity is mind boggling because that's not what either player is in the team to do. We just got so desperate last season because no one was doing it.

You can criticise Livermore for his lack of mobility or his poor disciplinary record, that's understandable but when he gets criticised at the same time as criticising about lack of creativity it's sort of a redundant argument.

You are blaming wingers for last season's lack of creativity?

In previous promotion campaigns we've had the likes of Koren, Greening, Koumas, Texeira, Pereira all creating from central positions.

For £11m and with a Premier League pedigree, you'd expect even just a small amount of vision and flair.

84

General Football & Sports / Re: Jake Livermore

« on: July 27, 2022, 10:53:52 AM »

"in the frame", is JL taking up Snooker?

I'm amazed people continue to ignore JL's deficiencies and give him a free pass 'because he's a nice guy.

WBA's promotion aspirations are directly linked to player quality.  Why do you think Bruce has signed Yokuslu, Swift and Wallace all for midfield?  Maybe Bruce agrees with me in what we saw from last season's midfield? 

If Livermore put his career first he'd be off to another club immediately to get regular playing time.

85

General Football & Sports / Re: Jake Livermore

« on: July 27, 2022, 10:22:20 AM »

I agree that lack of goals/creativity was a big reason why we never went, which has more to do with full backs poor crossing, no forwards anticipating balls into the box, lack of creativity from all the midfield, poor finishing etc.

Molumby was like a headless chicken when he first came into the side. His discipline was as bad as Livermore's (1 less red, 1 more yellow). He didn't really contribute anything to our creativity.

TGH looked good but his lack of experience started to show in later games.

Agree about Reach in midfield though, he adds nothing.

The whole team stopped pressing, Livermore was one of the few players that tried to keep pressing.

Livermore cost £11m and was supposed to be a heavy weight signing for us.  He has never been convincing, not even in the Championship.  He doesn't look accomplished and when you add in lack of mobility.

TGH and Molumby are kids still finding their feet.  However, Molumby is a full Rep of Ireland international.  I do think there development was stunted by the likes of Livermore and Reach.

Livermore for this upcoming season is just bleeding the club on wages for no return.  And people turn their anger on Johnstone and Robinson.  I just find it bizarre.  Robinson has been a good player for us and a fantastic swap for the ineffective Burke.

86

General Football & Sports / Re: Jake Livermore

« on: July 27, 2022, 09:47:07 AM »

We were in the top 6 until Bruce arrived in February. The whole team was under performing.

Lowest number of goals scored in a championship season since when?

We couldn't create, that's why we never went up.  Ismael was focused on a rock solid defence and it worked for roughly 20 games.  When the dam burst, that was it. 

Livermore was excellent for roughly the first 8 games which contributed to a strong start.  But then it was evident he couldn't keep up with the energetic press.  It was at this point Mulumby and TGH should've taken over.  However, Livermore continued and we made it worse by then adding Reach to the midfield.

87

General Football & Sports / Re: Jake Livermore

« on: July 26, 2022, 10:07:23 PM »

I think you might be right. JL has not got long left to play football. However he is within his rights to sit out  the stupid deal Dowling gave him.

Livermore should be gone by now if our Managers from last season hadn't been stupid enough to give him 25 starts to trigger the one season extension.

He was a big reason why we never threatened the top 6 last season.   

Amongst the very worst midfielders within the Championship.

88

General Football & Sports / Re: Steve Bruce - Manager

« on: July 18, 2022, 01:08:16 PM »

Steve Bruce cannot afford to fail with this squad.

To be fair to Ron Gourlay he has delivered this Summer with signings, after being hammered last season.

Failure this season will mean we haven't been good enough tactically IMO. Let's just hope Bruce learns from his disaster managing AV in the Championship.

89

General Football & Sports / Re: Steve Bruce - Manager

« on: July 16, 2022, 10:32:10 AM »

Phillips and Livermore prone to putting on weight when not getting regular game time, which renders them even more ineffective. 

90

General Football & Sports / Re: Steve Bruce - Manager

« on: July 16, 2022, 07:15:10 AM »

Adding numbers to increase squad size will cause disharmony, as players on the fringes will naturally want to play.

We have old players still there, who are not particularly good even at Championship level, who naturally don't want to move, as they're on too much of a good thing at WBA.

The club needs a ruthless streak to get rid of them somehow, by taking a financial hit. 

These.players having 10 mins game time here and there is no good at all.

91

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: New strip

« on: July 14, 2022, 08:11:46 AM »

2022/23 Home Strip is best the best in many a year, it looks fantastic.

92

General Football & Sports / Re: Steve Bruce - Manager

« on: July 14, 2022, 08:09:29 AM »

Bruce looks to be stockpiling good quality Championship players, without knowing anything about formations or best XI.  It is reminiscent of what he had at Villa, when he laboured badly with a squad who should have walked the top 2.

Hopefully we will beat teams with infividuap quality, which will offset any tactical shortcomings.

There are no excuses this season.

93

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Dara O'Shea

« on: July 14, 2022, 08:05:56 AM »

We should be offering O'Shea £30,000 per week.  It's only £1.5m per year.  How much are we paying Reach, Livermore, Phillips, Bartley, Furlong etc?

This guy has come through our youth set up so costs us nothing apart from wages.

Losing him to another club should not even be on the radar.

94

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Okay Yokuslu

« on: July 13, 2022, 04:48:16 PM »

Anyone who has doubts about this potential signing then look at the alternative ……..Another season of Jake Livermore as a regular starter ! Can’t wait for Okay to sign .

I don't want to see any more of Livermore in a WBA shirt, not even in the 89th minute of every match.  Yokuslu is at least x5 a better player.

95

General Football & Sports / Re: Jake Livermore

« on: July 13, 2022, 01:27:12 PM »

Surely this guy has to go this Summer if we acquire the excellent Yokuslu?

What brilliant business it would be to acquire Swift, Wallace and Yokuslu all for free.

It certainly would offset any upfront payment of Livermore's contract for next 12 months, which would be in the region of £1 million?

I think Phillips will now push to re-invent himself as a full back (as with Brunt).

96

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Wba financial report 2021-22

« on: June 30, 2022, 10:30:20 AM »

So Lai has just copied Peace from a few years ago taking a loan against the club.

He has very little money.  Just a natural continuation of Peace's reign.

Better make best use of resources then.

97

General Football & Sports / Re: England Cricket Thread

« on: June 24, 2022, 03:16:14 PM »

Never seen anything like it.

Local derby tonight at Edgbaston - Bears v Pears.

Hopefully the rain stays away 

Worcs are dreadful, result looks a formality

98

General Football & Sports / Re: Steve Bruce - Manager

« on: June 24, 2022, 12:33:36 PM »

Bruce has already got 2 key targets.  2 prominent first team players O'Shea and Dike are also like new signings.  There are apparently other signings on the way.

There is no excuse for finishing outside the top 6.  We don't want any more talk of "there or thereabouts".

99

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Jed Wallace signs official

« on: June 23, 2022, 09:45:13 PM »

I think Jed Wallace and indeed John Swift will prove to be fantastic value for money.

Wallace and Swift were clearly the most prized assets for Millwall and Reading respectively.

100

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Jed Wallace signs official

« on: June 23, 2022, 08:51:44 PM »

Totally missing the point.

The thread is about Wallace NOT Livermore, there no comparison between the 2 so no need to bring him into every topic going.

He's got a a thread somewhere so feel free to resurrect it and start another debate in there, i'm sure someone will take you up on it.

Edit - here you go - http://westbrom.com/forum/index.php?topic=19662.0

It's directly related to Livermore and Phillips.  We've just signed 2 key players for midfield.  It doesnt need a rocket scientist to make an assumption there's even less opportunity for these 2.

So we should be cutting our losses on deadwood and showing a ruthless edge.  We should not be a retirement home!