O'Driscoll

[Dreambeliever]

So is he the mastermind behind our new look solidness in defence?

We certainly look more compact and even though we still suspect in patches we certainly are looking harder to beat.

Hopefully the goals at the other end begin to flow because so far we have had one outrageous strike and an offside goal to show for 3 games.

7/9 is something I think everyone would have jumped at before the season started so in delighted.

How much of it is Rodgers and how much his new right hand man?

 

[Squiggles]

Well, by all accounts he pointed us towards Gomez so that's very much to his credit. Anything else is just speculation really, but it's a promising start and I hope it continues.

 

[HC]

O'Driscolls teams arent known for being rock solid are they?

By the same token neither is Rodgers Liverpool.

So fuck knows , at least Mignolet will win the golden gloves as we finish 5th 😉

 

[leftpeg]

Who knows? What matters is it's working.

 

[Judge Jules]

Agreed.

Incidentally Sir Gary Mac as new first team coach deserves his share of the credit too. I'd hazard a guess that the atmosphere around the first team and the club in general is a fair bit more upbeat with him around.

 

[Rosco]

I think the solidness is overstated.

It's worth remembering that it's easily arguable controversial refereeing decisions are responsible for two of the clean sheets.

There still has definitely been a shift towards a more pragmatic approach. Where you put the credit for that is difficult to say.

I think it's clear the change in staff was down to Mike Gordon, Rodgers clearly had some input into the replacements. And in turn they've had an influence on Rodgers - as has Michael Edwards.

I don't know whether it's just an illusion at this stage but we're starting to look like a properly run club

 

[gkmacca]

I don't think O'Driscoll had anything to do with us getting Gomez. Contact was first made with Charlton late last season. After O'Driscoll arrived he was quoted as saying he knew about Gomez and liked him, which seems to have confused the issue. Rodgers wanted Gomez long before Pascoe and Marsh were kicked out.

I'm not knocking O'Driscoll. I don't know what he's actually doing in terms of coaching ideas, but I like the fact he's often up in the stands for the first half. A bit of distance, a broader view, and some calm and considered advice. That's just what was needed.

 

[Squiggles]

I don't think O'Driscoll had anything to do with us getting Gomez. Contact was first made with Charlton late last season. After O'Driscoll arrived he was quoted as saying he knew about Gomez and liked him, which seems to have confused the issue. Rodgers wanted Gomez long before Pascoe and Marsh were kicked out.

I'm not knocking O'Driscoll. I don't know what he's actually doing in terms of coaching ideas, but I like the fact he's often up in the stands for the first half. A bit of distance, a broader view, and some calm and considered advice. That's just what was needed.

Ah, I thought he it was O'Driscoll who pushed for him. Didn't realise the interest was already there but it makes sense. At the very least it was reported that he worked with Gomez at his England coaching role before Liverpool and gave him a glowing recommendation to the club about his character and talents.

 

[jexykrodic]

I don't know if the current clean sheets can be put down to coaching by O'Driscoll but I hope we remain lucky. It's always the sign of a good team when the calls keep going your way.

 

[Squiggles]

No it isn't.

 

[mark1975]

It's early days yet. You don't just suddenly become a good defensive team overnight, there's a few crucial points:

* We've stuck with a settled back 5 throughout the Summer, to allow for a bit of continuity and familiarity - it's worked to quite a large degree.

* Being more pragmatic can give you more organisation and more protection - this is great in the big games, but we still need to open up against other sides, which is where we often get exposed.

* We've got away with two big decisions.

* We now have what we've lacked since the days of Finnan and then Arbeloa. Full backs who tuck in, who have sound positional awareness and how know how to play a defensive line AND how to cover for their defensive teammates - this more than anything is crucial to the way we're playing.

Like when new managers come to clubs, there's always an inevitable "lift" in the teams fortunes, so I'd imagine the fresh ideas of our new personnel has had a similar effect. It's not something you can gauge over a couple of weeks though, it's something we need to look back on further down the line. The signs are promising, but lets see what happens when the games come thick and fast and we get injuries, fatigue etc.

 

[Frogfish]

Agreed.

Incidentally Sir Gary Mac as new first team coach deserves his share of the credit too. I'd hazard a guess that the atmosphere around the first team and the club in general is a fair bit more upbeat with him around.

This has been commented on by the players - forget where I read it though.