Hello friends,
Since few weeks, we are living a very exciting transfers window. Many rumours apart , sometimes false, sometimes stupid, LFC staff (King Kenny, Damien Comolli and John Henry) succeded to add three great players to the team: Henderson, Adam and Downing.
I will not talk about the Liverpool’s transfer policy (you can read it here: http://worldfootballcolumns.com/2011/07/15/the-scouser-report-soccernomics-moneyball-and-liverpools-transfer-policy/?like=1&_wpnonce=29b408ae32&wpl_rand=7a67aad8f3). After those three incomings, we are waiting for the cleaning of the “deadwood” : Joe Cole and Jovanovic (who have not shown on the pitch that they merit their wages), Poulsen (not good enough), Jones, and Konchelski (already gone). Other names can eventually be listed, and many fans are keen to add David Ngog too. Almost Black Cat few weeks ago, the French striker is still there, and one scenario is about he could still be an important player for us now or in a descent future.
If we follow the LFC’transfer policy, “we” (staff) are searching for young players, experienced in PL, hungry of playing, and matching traditions and purposes of the club. And if i’m still right, we are expecting for a striker to add to the squad…
But we already got one, who “seems” (i’m not the staff, so of course, i’m maybe wrong) to match all characteristics needed.
Ok, we just first have to be honnest about David Ngog. He’s not strenght as Caroll. Not technic speed and bold as Suarez. Not a hardworker as Kuyt. He’s just David Ngog: young and good striker. Serious and simple. Discreet and loyal. With enough speed and technic, and a great header capacity to score goals in PL.
Under Roy’s reign, he was one of the only few who didn’t disapoint. More: he was good. By far better than Torres. And the year before, when the spanish was injured, Ngog made more than a descent job again.
What can we blame him for wanting him to go? Are we amnesic about the job he already has done for us?
It was not easy to say, when Kenny became manager, that he was a part of plan of the King. And unfortunately was injured too…
The only problem of David Ngog is that he is a striker with lack of confidence. Only because he does’nt have a key role which can give him experience. A striker needs to score to be confident. And to score, a striker need time of playing.
Finally, if David is motivated and hungry, if he matches expectations of the staff, David can, at least, be a real part of the team. This year, or after a loan period why not.
Totally agree!
Denis, in my view if David Ngog is ready to be a back up striker, than I see no harm in keeping him. On a personal level, I don’t see him as the type of player to come on and change a game, but as I said, if he is prepared to be patient and give his all when called upon, why not.
You forgot to mention the signing of Doni. He may not have been part of our expectation but he still is an experienced ex-Brazil international and most certainly more capable of handling the pressure than either Jones or Gulasci. His capture is not to be underestimated.
hello tonio,
always a pleasure to read you. I didn’t mention Doni because he will not have a so important role on the pitch. Of course he will surely play cup matches, and his incoming will allow our young goalkeeper to have experience on loan
The idea is to have two excellent players per position, and to be frank, the gap between Pepe Reina and our reserve keeper was abismal. Doni should give the management better piece of mind if Pepe is not available for some reason or other.
As for Ngog, I feel that since he was being used as a pawn in Henderson’s deal, it could be that the management has decided to sell him to the right buyer. If this was not the case, he would not be on the market.
Well, hes not really even very young anymore, and hes not that good either. There are rapists with a better touch than N’gog. Hes alright as a 4th choice striker, but if Suarez or Carroll were to get injured for a spell, then we need better than N’gog. Chelsea have Anelka as 3rd choice, United have Berbatov, City have Dzeko/Ballotelli and even Spurs have either Pavlyuchenko or Defoe.. we have N’gog.
Ok, david is not a berbatov like, nor a dzeko like. But it’s fair to say that he has done more for LFC that balotelli for city. Balo has no brain.
errrmm balotelli has tallied more goals than ngog has ever in LFC colours..so wats your point
Don’t forget Kuyt is pretty decent upfront. Ngog would be a good 4th choice, I think he is often given a rough ride by our fans.
I’m sorry, but is this based on the pre season games?? I’ll give you one thing about the kid , he can make an intelligent run. Past that I don’t think he has anything to offer. He can’t control a ball he can’t run with a ball he panics in front of goal and as for his heading!!?? Great heading capacity?? I’m sorry but this is a Rose tinted article based on two pre season games. He nearly tackled himself twice when in on goal on Wednesday. He’s not a back up striker, he’s a Newcastle or Birmingham striker at best. Worth a punt for 1.5m but he’s simply not good enough. 0-0 in a derby, 89th minute, Would you trust him to put the ball in the back of the net when bearing down on goal?? Id bet my house he wouldn’t.
hello,
absolutely not based on pre season games. as big part of supporters, i discovered David after Rafa landed him in merseyside. If my memory is good, Rafa said about him something like that: David is a complete striker, but to be good he has to work his first touch ball before running to the goal. And it would be absolutely unfair to blame him for his lack of experience: that’s why a loan could be a solution.
But do you really think that more money will be spend on a striker ? Not sure, Damien and Kenny have to meet first and talk about the team then.
You said it b4 when torres was injured ngog filled in. how much experience does a player actually need to become experienced?
In my eyes Ngog has had plenty of time and plenty of experience and he is quite simply not good enough.
If he had the potential and quality that u say then other clubs would be knocking the door down trying to accuire him, unfortunatly that is not the case and is the reason he is still at the club.
is he officially for sale? Don’t know. 20 comments and Ngog still doubtfull about him. Interesting.
I dont think you have to be officially for sale now adays. Was torres officially for sale? Is Fabrigas officially for sale? I think you get my point if a team is interested in a player then they will make an bid for the player and if its the wrong bid they will improve it. obviously this is so far not the case as i believe if the right offer came in for him he would no longer be at the club.
agree with you pal.. maybe he should practise more with the resewrve matches which could gain him confidence and also be used as a backup striker..
lets give him a chance..
kenny can sure bring the best out of him..!!
David is a good player. I agree with you.
david ngog his a good player n he is yong but we need 2 give him a chans n u will se he will pruve more 4 sure bkz that kind of player we need n hi can score annytimes
Disagree with you on N’gog. He is a hopeless player even as a stand in striker. He was given his chances in the past, but everytime he was on, he fails to impress. If Crouch needs 50 attempts to score, N’gog needs 100 attempts. He looks lost on the field, poor positioning around the box and can’t provide any assist. Not a question of self confidence. Just not good enough for Liverpool. I say ship him out.
Where is this coming from
He scores a goal against a chinese side of no stature and 2 against a malaysian XI
go back 12 months and this rubbish was being written after he bagged 2 against a team of mighty macedonians
get real he’s not good enough
If you ask me to shell out 13m for Connor Wickham to replace Ngog, I’d say the former won’t be an improvement of Ngog (for now at least). Also with kids, you need to play them once in a while so they can be on the bench. However Ngog is at the age where he needs to play week in week out. I don’t think he will be happy to stay there and be a backup. We have enough midfielders to play 0-11-0 and having Suarez and Carrol seems to have enough cover for Strikers. Don’t forget Kuyt is a striker and so is Cole and Maxi and Pacheco (2nd strikers like Suarez).
Ok for Pacheco, and we all hope this year he will play. And absolutely ok for Dirk of course. I’m just asking about Ngog. And I said a loan could be a solution too (that Pacheco has already done)
Patcheco has yet to convince me every time i have seen him he does his headless chicken act.
He is better than is given credit for!!!!!
Ngog has good pace and run making abilities but beyond that he is pretty terrible.
The problem is that if we offload him who is going to want to come to the club knowing they will be 3rd or 4th choice? And if they are better than Suarez/Carroll, then they aren’t the type players you want sitting on the bench.
We will not have “better” (cost will be too much) than Suarez/Caroll. If we sell Ngog (or on loan), it will be because Pacheco is ready. We’ll have this answer soon. I just ask the question: can he (ngog) be part of our future, or the staff consider him as “deadwood” too.
Hes probably worth keeping hold of untill we can find a replacement, his wages arent much. And you never know with better service off dowing, and adam he may improve. But i wouldn’t call him an important player as he’s just not good enough.
Im sorry but I don’t agree at all, Liverpool fc does not house players that walk around the pitch during match’s he has no urgency to get into space he’s constantly offside due to too much laze in timing his runs, he just doesn’t flow with the rest of the team.
Also like ive said previously Joe Cole is going to be like a new signing for us, everyone has forgotten how he used to play for his old clubs, he had a bad year and now looks to be really trying to get to full fitness and get his confidence back.
N’gog may mature into a good player but at the moment he just doesnt cut it we need to get him out on loan for a full season of starts treat him like any other young player we got that aint ready yet.
Errmm sorry but NO joe cole needs to be sold..he is dead wood..he wont cut it…sell him and then pacheco takes his place besides pacheco is similar to him
Er he is not good enough.simple really.
Joe cole is pony theres no room for him in a startin 11, and i think hed struggle to make the squad, get rid and save £90k a week
totally agree need to sell him out…i dont see him fitting..besides sell him and pacheco takes his place init (similar players)
I think David is in need of more confidence. I know he was playing against a lesser side today but so was Andy, David scored Andy at 35 Mill didn’t plain and simple. People put him down he joined at a young age and honestly has not had anyone like Kenny to help him, Rafa wasn’t the greatest at man management. Look at they way he took his 2nd goal. Yes he is needs to be more consistent and with time he will and he is still young and as a back striker you could choose a lot worse. Any have you heard this Other business had been expected, in particular the recruitment of a new left-back, but Comolli says the next business Liverpool are likely to be involved in is player sales, rather than purchases.
and furthermore: Reacting to the result, Henry wrote on Twitter: “One missing link last year: Acquilani (sic). Put the ball near Ngog and the goal and it’s going in. Too much talk of them somewhere else.”
This is the most valid point on here. Ultimately, its up to him, not us.
That’s true,he will decide.I’ve got a crazy idea,instead of slating our players how bout we support any and all who put on the red shirt ? King kenny knows better than any of us who is and who isn’t good enough and when I’m at anfield I find it strange how our own supporters slate our players,it’s easy to cheer when your winning.those who aren’t good enough will be gone sooner or later
In a nutshell! He’s not good enough. Does’nt try hard enough,poor one on one, no great tricks , fragile and hits the ground faster than Bambi. Just an average player who may benefit from a move. I’d put Kuyt in front of him ,a player who has made the most out of average talent, but the best grafter in the team.
the one I’d keep is Insua. Young and has always made good crosses in just take a look at the just concluded friendly in Malaysia. Need to track back and read his defensive game but better than spending on a new left back. We have Aurelio, Insua and even Johnson. SO do we really need a new one?
I personally don’t think he’s going to be good enough for us. I feel for him because he wants to be good enough, but he just doesn’t quite fit. I’d rather see Liverpool try to bring Eccleston or Amoo through…
i agree with you. I think he is the perfect back up for carrol and suarez.
Today charlie adam play very well again, and aquilani is playing much better he is 100% now he deserve another chance this year.
I think both sides of this argument are wrong simply because both sides are judging a player that in the main has been playing for a team of missfits that for most of the time have lacked confidence and he has not been helped by being made the scapegoat when the Anfield crowd had only Torres to compare him with. I think the time to judge him is after giving him his chance in the team LFC are currently building.
What an appallingly written article, I hope English isn’t your first language! Ngog was shit and still is. Should have bought wickham!
i think more than david ngog it should be DANI PACHECO who should play. hes like a mini suarez(less of a hothead), n if he moves on to another club hell be among the finest in the world in the next 2 years… or he might stay back in the reserves for a few years n b a lost talent.. btw he satisfies the HOMEGROWN condition, been in lpool since he was 18..
P.S.- also think adam morgan can b given a few games.. maybe carling cup?
he was by far better than torres??????(when injured) are you drunk or what mr publisher loool your not realistic…
The sooner we get shot of him the better.
Is it because you also have a French name that you can’t see how awful he is? ;)
Ngog can score some good goals, surely. But most of the time he misses chances that my grandmother would score from. Most of the time he looks like Bambi on thin ice. No good.
I think he should be loned to a PL club if possible, with this lot of midfielders Kuyt can be the back up in strike force and the less games this year means we can have a bit of gamble by not buying a new back up. If saurez got a spell out for any reason, this move will be an expensive one. Still if we mange to give the French a bit of time in other club he got an opportunity to prove himself he is good enough for the reds or we can sell him next summer. If he proves and still we dont need him with a possible Cl next term (we may need some one better than nagog) his sales can bring some good money to the bank.
I disagree regarding Ngog. Like the majority of people who have commented, I think he simply is not good enough. However, we should not overlook Kuyt as a backup striker. He was a striker in Holland before making the switch to Anfield. I imagine (and, sorry guys, hope!) he will be used less in midfield this coming season with the queue of talented players we have fighting for a berth. Speaking of talented midfielders, Aqua is is looking like the player we all hoped he would be when he first arrived. I know the opposition so far hasn’t been too testing, but he is still outshining his team mates who are facing the same opponents.
i agree. ngog is far from good to fill the 3rd striker role that we need right now. i guess he scored about 9 goals or so. but i give the credits to the 1s who created the goal. we need some1 better than just scoring goals that were practically handed to em. and like mentioned in the top, i think he lacks hunger. i would want him to stay as a 4th choice just in case something happens. so i would want another striker to fill the 3rd choice striker.i dont have any1 in mind, but im sure KK or comolli will surely find some1. BUT i think park would be a good choice. asian market + hes actually not all that bad. some good international experiences etc. n hes also cheap b/c monaco just got relegated. lastly, he WANTS liverpool. what else do we need?
don’t think he is good enough even if he fits FSG youth policy.
Last season there was some matches where the manager needed someone who can change the game against stuborn defense but when ngog came in, he dont inspire confidence to the team.
I think LFC needs someone who can impact a game as substitute and IMO ngog even doesn’t show that he got confidence.
We are not in a position to wait for a striker to bloom as the league is becoming more harder and the team cannot wait just like in the case of Babel where people said he had not been given the chance.
Bottom line, Ngog needs to go.
David N’Gog always looks good in pre-season. I mean no disrespect but when we’re playing Guangdong and Malaysian IX(who have already lost 4-0 to Arsenal a day or two before) it’s not really that hard to look good. This is just like last year when we started our friendlies and everyone thought N’Gog would be the one to step up and then he proceeded to lose the ball at his feet right in front of the net or tumble like a tall, french stack of cards. I’m not impressed, haven’t been for some time. Great article though, love this site.
Why not Emiliano Insua?
I see everywhere about our search for a left full-back, because Aurelio can’t play every game, but having seen Insua again last night, I was reminded that here is a talented youngster, loads of power and strength, not lacking for pace, able to get forward, scored a wonder goal against Arsenal, put in two good crosses last night, although one was fortunately deflected.
Why is he never mentioned? He was sent on loan because Hodgson wanted to bring in Konchesky, we all saw what a great mover that was. He also sent Aquilani out on loan, judging by last night’s performance, and his last few games for us before going on loan, another huge mistake.
He needs to learn how to control a ball …..his first touch is lousy ……. get rid ,,,get some cash and bring in the reserves and academy kids .