Cronky

Sturridge has talent all right, but he seems to have gone backwards this season. His decision-making still needs to develop. He sometimes tries to do things himself when he ought to release the ball. He didn't seem to make the transition from being the star at Bolton to being one of several good players at Chelsea. How he'd deal with Liverpool I don't know. If Rodgers imposes the Swansea style, he'd have to discipline himself a lot more. He could be a replacement for Suarez, who I think is keen to go.

What about Arshavin yesterday? Reversal. Good call. I'd say he's in the minority though.

Interesting to see how poor Van Persie was. I think a lot of Arsenal players don't perform as well either when they move to other clubs, or play for their national side. Wenger's good at instilling confidence in each individual.

Barton has a habit of picking on easy targets that he knows will get him a round of applause. Henderson's the latest example.

Spot on. No one quite like him and never will be again. That Forest team he built up could be tremendous and not a lot of "stars" when they first became prominent. Yeah he basically won the European Cup with the same team who won promotion from Division 2 Amazing. With Ferguson's overall record, you'd have to say he's the best ever, but even he never matched that particular feat. Promotion, Division 1 Champions and League Cup winners, Euro Champions and League Cup winners, then Euro Champions again in four successive seasons, with Notts Forest ffs. And just for good measure, they went 42 league games unbeaten at one point, which was a record at the time. I don't think there's ever been a manager who was better at sending his team out in the right frame of mind. Players seemed to be able to produce their best form, not intermittently, but for 90 minutes every match. So they ended up over-achieving by a ridiculous amount.

Even at his peak, I often thought that Terry looked nervous in an England shirt, making misjudgements that he'd never have made for his club.

Ashley has emerged as the master of the eccentric but correct decision.

He should have been dumped after the Bridge issue came to light. He's been a divisive factor ever since.

I'd be more than happy with Clyne. He's looked a very good player to me, well able to step up to the Premiership.

A celebrity with a reputation for violence desides to have a quiet evening in a Liverpool night club. Hughes will be glad to know he's trying hard to avoid trouble.

When he was alive my granda used to always go on about Walker and said he was absolutely brilliant. Don't know if it is true or not but he said he was never the same player after playing over in Italy. IIRC they made him a full back at Sampdoria, which didn't suit him. The Italians had a much more technical game and he couldn't adjust. He was superb at one-on-ones. The Notts Forest chant of 'you'll never beat Des Walker' had some substance. He played a big part in their revival around the late 80's, because they could charge forward, leaving him alone at the back in the knowledge that he'd snuff out any counter attacks. Your reference to your granda is a bit of a worry for the likes of me. It wasn't that long ago, was it?

£20m would be a very good price for the player, and if re-invested we should end up with a stronger squad. So yeah, I would. I agree with Morpeth Mag. His defensive work is excellent, but he often hangs on to the ball too long, and his distribution isn't great. Mulumbu would be a good replacement.

Ashley Young had a poor game in that Rooney-role between striker and midfield. It's an important position and that's a worry. We also seemed very rigid in the midfield. Ox was the only one who tried to roam a bit. To cap it all, the full backs did little to support the attack. We seemed to be good at getting back behind the ball, but that's as much as you can say. Hopefully, there's more to come.

I'd keep the same side for France. There aren't any obvious changes to be made, and we may as well try and give this team a chance to gel a bit. Belgium looked a very decent side, but committed a lot of cynical fouls. The game showed how much we'll miss Rooney's composure and vision in the first two games. Two draws will do fine.

He looked a bit sweaty. My money's on you again.

Quite like that side. It shows the right kind of boldness in picking Welbeck and the Ox.

That sounds like a compromise. Rodgers wouldn't have wanted to work under the shadow of someone like Van Gaal. I'm not sure how that group would work, especially if they're new to one another. I don't know if it's a model that's been used commonly elsewhere. Plus are you going to attract the best people if they're only going to be part of a group of five?

I think the lad is mentally strong and can put that behind him. The question is whether he's good enough yet to take on a role in CM at that level. I meant more the principle of picking a player who hasn't performed in the league. Well ultimately, it's about how you think the player is going to perform tomorrow, in the Euros, for the national team. Obviously club performances are what you go by, but there may be reasons why a player hasn't performed well for their club. My original point about Henderson was that this last season, he has faced just about every factor that would lead a young player to under-perform. I think he's scraped into the squad this time because Hodgson has seen enough in the lad to suggest that he can perform better than his Liverpool form might indicate.

I think the lad is mentally strong and can put that behind him. The question is whether he's good enough yet to take on a role in CM at that level.

A lot of very harsh comments on Henderson. He's 21, had the pressure of a big money move, was pitched into a team that had just been thrown together, had to cope with different positions in different formations, all under a manager who was under a lot of pressure himself. It's no wonder he struggled to impose himself. With everyone then calling you a failure, most young players would have sunk without trace, but I think he's kept himself going through it all. He looks like a good athlete who can really cover the ground. What I'm not sure about is his range of ability on the ball. With Parker's fitness in doubt, we may be about to learn a lot more.

I haven't made my mind up about Henderson. I've seen flashes of quality from him, but he was still in the 'promising' category at Sunderland, and he was chucked in at the deep end at Liverpool. This tournament has come too soon for him, but generally it's too early to judge him. I'll say one thing for the lad - despite his struggles, his head hasn't gone down, from what I've seen. He's kept going, trying to get involved. He's got the determination to be a success in the long run.

I can't say I like the way Rodgers often uses possession in a negative way, as a way of preventing the opposition from playing rather than creating chances for his own side. If that idea catches on, we're in for some deadly dull football matches. There's also a danger in going too much by statistics. While it may be true that the team who dominates possession may have a greater statistical chance of winning, if that team is actually spending half the time prodding the ball between the midfield and the back four, then that advantage is reduced. I'm not sure that the Liverpool fans or the Liverpool players are going to be too happy if Rodgers leads them down the same path. Their expectations and ambitions are different from Swansea's.

This'll be shooting fish in a barrel.

Probably because Swansea finished higher in the league than Wigan.

Better players like Henderson, Adam, Spearing, Downing? Nah not them, i'm assuming he will get some money to spend. he won't be spending it though, it will be Van Gaal if the stories are true If Van Gaal is in the background as DOF, Rodgers will be eaten alive.