Gimme dat Ings

[gkmacca]

Danny Ings is ready to strengthen his bond with the Kop as he looks to put his injury nightmare behind him.

The Liverpool striker says the backing of the supporters kept him going during his gruelling seven-month battle after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament last October.

Ings received a hero's reception from the travelling Kop when he made his eagerly-awaited comeback as a substitute at West Brom on the final day back in May. Now he wants to repay them with goals this season.

“I felt from the first moment I started playing for this club that the connection with the fans was very strong,” Ings said.

“It was obviously nice to come back from such a long lay off and be welcomed so well, especially away from home. It was fantastic and made me feel really good.

“I was adamant I was going to play before the end of the season. I’m not sure if anyone else believed I would, but I was determined to so it was a relief to come on in that game and play the last half an hour.”

The fact that Ings got back ahead of schedule was testament to his professionalism and dedication to his rehabilitation programme.

The former Burnley frontman, who celebrated his 24th birthday at the club's California training base on Saturday, was a regular at Melwood throughout the summer as he continued to build up his fitness.

With the influx of new talent into Jurgen Klopp 's squad this summer - coupled with the presence of Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi - Ings knows securing a regular starting spot won't be easy but he's up for the challenge.

“I feel great. I did extra work so I was already in good shape leading into pre-season,” said Ings, whose transfer fee was belatedly set at £8million by a tribunal in April.

“I feel like I’m going from strength to strength every day now, physically I’m in top shape and mentally as well.

“It’s fairly similar to last summer in that we’ve had big players come in for big money, and obviously my fee got settled which was much less than they cost.

“But for me, it’s not about price tags. It’s about your individual qualities, how hard you work and it’s important to make full use of the opportunities when they come.

“The only competition I’ve got now is myself to be honest. I need to be fully ready for whenever I’m picked.

 

[Oliver Twist]

He can only get better this season.



Never bin done, right?

 

[Judge Jules]

Excellent attitude and his style should suit Klopp's philosophy to a T. All he needs is a little bit of luck and I think he could challenge for more than a stand-in role.

 

[FoxForceFive]

Excellent attitude and his style should suit Klopp's philosophy to a T. All he needs is a little bit of luck and I think he could challenge for more than a stand-in role.

Came in to post pretty much this. I really enjoy watching him play, & I think he could well do extremely well.

 

[manwithnoname]

Excellent attitude and his style should suit Klopp's philosophy to a T. All he needs is a little bit of luck and I think he could challenge for more than a stand-in role.

Yes, he needs to get a chance to show what he can do and prove his quality. There is quite a bit of competition though, and I would be disappointed if his LFC career is a perennial squad role with him ever getting that opportunity.

Mind you - Sturridge.

 

[Silver Sean]

I'm going to allow myself to dream that he will become Klopp's Lewandowski equivalent in this squad.

 

[Red Astaire]

As I always do I bought the season DVD the other day. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment. Anyway I'd forgotten just how good Ings was before his injury. I'm a big fan and hope he gets lots of chances.

 

[gkmacca]

He's like a wasp, a gadfly, a pest, a sugar-rushed imp. He darts all over the place, making a nuisance of himself, pulling defenders out of position, making clever little runs, quick short passes - he's just what we need around the box after two seasons of relying on Coutinho to chip the ball into space or thread it through a mass of legs. All power to Ings!

 

[SummerOnions]

We haven't had a striker that covers ground like an animal since Suarez left. It brings a lot to the team having Ings presenting himself as a madman all over the pitch. We need the enthusiasm a dog gets when it spots its own tail

 

[Modo]

"Is all ya keep hearin' it, so long. You no see me a superstar
Man, I don' have time to was'e with your minions an' t-ings'."

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Yesil is dead.
LONG LIVE THE INGS

 

[gkmacca]

Gahhhh!

 

[Red Astaire]

@gkmacca what the hell is a 'sugar-rushed imp' I'm loving the imagery but fear a google search will lead me to clown porn or something. 😵

 

[Ryan]

If Sturridge had the same attitude as Ings, he'd be the best striker on the planet.

 

[rurikbird]

If Sturridge had the same attitude as Ings, he'd be the best striker on the planet.

That's human nature though, no? Talented people can often get away with being lazy 🙂

 

[Ryan]

That's human nature though, no? Talented people can often get away with being lazy 🙂

Sure, but the only thing that seperates Sturridge from say, Suarez, is attitude. Ability-wise they're on a par I'd say, but one is desperate to win, the other has a questionable attitude.

I'm not really criticising him for it, it's just disappointing.

 

[RedStar]

Sure, but the only thing that seperates Sturridge from say, Suarez, is attitude. Ability-wise they're on a par I'd say, but one is desperate to win, the other has a questionable attitude.

I'm not really criticising him for it, it's just disappointing.

Not the only thing though is it. If Sturridge played with the ferocity of Suarez he would break down much more often.

 

[Gary25]

Don't get this Sturridge has a poor attitude talk. Yes he's a bit sulky and that doesn't look good at times but difference in that and him not caring about how the team is doing....which he clearly does in my view.

Whilst it's great to see a player like Ings buzz around all over the place...it's infectious and will undoubtedly make you a favourite with fans, every player is different and some of the best footballers to have played the game had that laid back, nonchalant vibe about them. It's just the way Sturridge is.

I still think he's unappreciated by certain sections of the support. Understand people being pissed off with his injury problems but when he's on the pitch, he's absolutely top class. A brilliant footballer and I like the fact that he's great at the whole kicking the ball in the net thing.

 

[gkmacca]

Allardyce will sort him out. 🙁

 

[mom]

I'm likIngs Danny. He'll come good.

 

[rurikbird]

So far I can't really share the enthusiasm for Ings – sure he is hardworking and likable, but is he actually a good player? At this point I don't know; it's been too few games and his best spell coincided with Rodgers' last dark days. I'm a bit concerned that his touch often seems heavy and I didn't see much of a passing game; on the other hand he seems to be a natural finisher, which is something every team needs.

He will need to use his opportunities well whenever they arise, because surely the likes of Sturridge, Firmino, Mane and Origi are all higher in Klopp's priority list at the moment.

 

[moron]

Not the only thing though is it. If Sturridge played with the ferocity of Suarez he would break down much more often.

Yep RedStar agree with you. Players are not built equal - its like boxing where you could argue that both oponents have equal strength and build but only one of them can take a punch.

I think there is also a mental side to it all where agresssion needs to kick in and Suarez had loads of it. Studge kinda plays it too cool and the only time i have seen him really explode was when he scored that goal one of the Europa games.

 

[Oliver Twist]

Yeah, I'm not sure one size fits all where attitude is concerned. People use different techniques to bring the best out of themselves.

 

[manwithnoname]

So far I can't really share the enthusiasm for Ings – sure he is hardworking and likable, but is he actually a good player? At this point I don't know; it's been too few games and his best spell coincided with Rodgers' last dark days. I'm a bit concerned that his touch often seems heavy and I didn't see much of a passing game; on the other hand he seems to be a natural finisher, which is something every team needs.

He will need to use his opportunities well whenever they arise, because surely the likes of Sturridge, Firmino, Mane and Origi are all higher in Klopp's priority list at the moment.

Yeah, it's way too soon. I quite liked what little I saw of him for Burnley and Liverpool, but it's nowhere near enough to make any really confident predictions.

His energy, work-rate, and pace are all positive attributes and I do hope he gets a genuine opportunity to show what he can do, rather than be a perpetual squad-choice, getting a run-out in Cups and whatever.

That said, he's a sriker, so his main competition for that position is inury-prone, and he's better than Origi who has proven nothing either, so maybe he will get that opportunity. He could be superb, but he has to get the games to show it. I don't mind players who may not be as well-known or obviously exciting as others.

Certainly an £8m signing from Burnley fits that category, but then I don't think too many were overly excited when we replaced Ian Rush with John Aldridge, and he did OK.

And OK, that was in the late 80s, but look at someone like Vardy. He scored five Premiership goals in 2014/15. There was one game I saw in which he was outstanding against United, but nobody wanted to spend £20m on him then. But one year later Arsenal did.

Sometimes the ordinary player can outperform and outscore the more obvious, "fashionable" or attractive players

 

[mark1975]

Yeah, it's way too soon. I quite liked what little I saw of him for Burnley and Liverpool, but it's nowhere near enough to make any really confident predictions.

His energy, work-rate, and pace are all positive attributes and I do hope he gets a genuine opportunity to show what he can do, rather than be a perpetual squad-choice, getting a run-out in Cups and whatever.

That said, he's a sriker, so his main competition for that position is inury-prone, and he's better than Origi who has proven nothing either, so maybe he will get that opportunity. He could be superb, but he has to get the games to show it. I don't mind players who may not be as well-known or obviously exciting as others.

Certainly an £8m signing from Burnley fits that category, but then I don't think too many were overly excited when we replaced Ian Rush with John Aldridge, and he did OK.

And OK, that was in the late 80s, but look at someone like Vardy. He scored five Premiership goals in 2014/15. There was one game I saw in which he was outstanding against United, but nobody wanted to spend £20m on him then. But one year later Arsenal did.

Sometimes the ordinary player can outperform and outscore the more obvious, "fashionable" or attractive players

I like Ings Brendan, but I think it's debatable whether he's better than Origi.

I mean, we can't judge Origi on a fairly promising but disrupted second half of last season, but we can judge Ings on a couple of months with us and a spell in a relegation team? It's six of one, half a dozen of the other in that sense. In terms of raw attributes I'd say Origi is quicker, more powerful and skillful, Ings is maybe a bit more smart and instinctive. I just think Origi has a better all round game than any of our strikers, and whatever he was lacking in goals, he started to get over that hurdle a bit in the second half of the season.

Both are bright and promising either way, I just don't get why you're so keen to rubbish Origi, I thought he looked a totally different player and class in the games later on in the season.

 

[mark1975]

Origi:
14/15 - 44 apps and 9 goals (Lille)
15/16 - 33 apps and 10 goals (Liverpool)

Ings:
14/15 - 37 apps and 11 goals (Burnley)
15/16 - 9 apps and 3 goals (Liverpool)

Their records are quite similar (Origi's Liverpool record is on a par with Ings' the season previous). With Ings having more experience in English football and being 3yrs older than Origi.

They both have a record that's respectably close to 1 goal in 3-4 apps, which is impressive enough at this stage.

 

[Judge Jules]

As far as Ings himself is concerned, I haven't seen anyone suggest he's nailed on to take the Prem by storm or anything like that. What some of us are saying, and what I stand by, is "so far so good" as far as he's concerned. I'm sure the guy himself would accept that he still has to get out there and do it.

 

[mark1975]

As far as Ings himself is concerned, I haven't seen anyone suggest he's nailed on to take the Prem by storm or anything like that. What some of us are saying, and what I stand by, is "so far so good" as far as he's concerned. I'm sure the guy himself would accept that he still has to get out there and do it.

Quite. I think him and Origi with Mane could be a real menace to opposition defenses this season, they all like to close quickly and harass. Throw Sturridge into the equation and we've got a good mix of attributes - strength, pace, goals. Sorted.

 

[manwithnoname]

I like Ings Brendan, but I think it's debatable whether he's better than Origi.

I mean, we can't judge Origi on a fairly promising but disrupted second half of last season, but we can judge Ings on a couple of months with us and a spell in a relegation team? It's six of one, half a dozen of the other in that sense. In terms of raw attributes I'd say Origi is quicker, more powerful and skillful, Ings is maybe a bit more smart and instinctive. I just think Origi has a better all round game than any of our strikers, and whatever he was lacking in goals, he started to get over that hurdle a bit in the second half of the season.

Both are bright and promising either way, I just don't get why you're so keen to rubbish Origi, I thought he looked a totally different player and class in the games later on in the season.

Ings seems more likely to get in the box and be available to take chances and score goals, given the right service

It is true that I don't rate Origi, largely because he doesn't seem to be a natural finisher, he often plays wide and avoids the penalty area. His workrate and pace are impressive, but he seems more athlete and less footballer to me

 

[mark1975]

Ings seems more likely to get in the box and be available to take chances and score goals, given the right service

It is true that I don't rate Origi, largely because he doesn't seem to be a natural finisher, he often plays wide and avoids the penalty area. His workrate and pace are impressive, but he seems more athlete and less footballer to me

There are loads of athletic footballers who become molded into the finished product though. Look at Henry in Italy, he was anything but the natural finisher. I thought Origi's game changed later in the season, at the beginning he didn't want to get in the box on the end of chances and he did want to stay wide, towards the end of the season he stuck to staying central when attacking the goal and got his rewards by being there when the chances fell to him. Loads of strikers work the channels, but he'd more or less eradicated that reluctance to get in the thick of it by the end of the season.