Riise v Besiktas

[Sheida V]

I am one of the people that have been very critical of Riise and basically have preferred many others to him in the side. But I thought he made a really good effort against Besiktas. I thought he tried to be less predictable and linked up well enough with his team mates. I still don't think he's good enough for left midfield in most games but he showed enough to suggest he has the quality for our team and I feel I've been harsh in critisizing him.

[Guest Ant]

Riise wasn't as bad as people made out.

 

Listening to people on here though kind of makes me watch him more, his non-use of his right foot is becoming more and more suspect to me however.

[JohnnyH]

Riise played well yesterday and anyone saying otherwise is just trying to toe a party line for some stupid reason or other.

 

Generally however, Riise is s***e.

[Woodsyla]

Riise is a left midfielder, left midfielder a left midfielder

Riise is a left midfielder and should not play at left back.

 

Thought he did ok based on the TV. Still gave us shoot on sight perfomance but that's his thing. One or two nice link up's with Kewell when he moved to LB as well but he didn't have any defending to do, thankfully.

[sutty]

Jonny Rockets did well. Hed didn't score the goals Kaizer would have from left midfield or complete the percentage of crosses Kaizer would have at left back, but he was good nonetheless

[Stevie H]

he took a good throw-in and didn't pussy out of the 50/50 challenges he normally does. he's still sh*te though.

[fyds]

Did well yesterday and played his part. Can't ask more than that - despite Kaizer wanting him to juggle, fire-eat and give birth to Baby Jebus at halftime.

[Guest westang]

he had a good game.

 

yet i think voronin really made things easier for ginger in the first half. everybody knows this johnny lad can't beat a man but voronin was always there to back him up and make space for him. as a result, even before we were 2 nil up, our midfield was a lot more balanced than in recent matches...

[Falconhoof]

What I enjoyed seeing was the wide midfielders getting into the penalty box more. Riise and Benayoun were constantly in the thick of it so the strikers had plenty of players to link up with.

[Benitez]

despite not playing like s*** for a change, he still manages to fec me off by shooting at goal from 40 yards about 3 times YET AGAIN. I'd love nothing more than for one of the players who've made a run and are available for a pass, to punch his lights out one day for doing that. That'd learn him.

[Puskas]

Riise puts in a big performance like that a couple of times as season. I remember him doing it against Chelsea last year. The pertinent question is - why doesn't he play like that more often?

[Stevie H]

Riise puts in a big performance like that a couple of times as season. I remember him doing it against Chelsea last year. The pertinent question is - why doesn't he play like that more often?

because he's a) thick and b) a spoofer.

[jimmylibel]

Thought he still made a load of wrong decisions, first half particularly - which is my main criticism of him.

 

That said the throw was very quick thinking on his part.

[Leo No.8]

On a night when we had much more technical ability on the pitch than we have lately (Benayoun, Crouch, Aurelio, Voronin all bringing that aspect to the side), I thought it was really noticeable how limited he was.

 

Yes he had a couple of decent shots etc, but everyone else looked so much more comfortable on the ball than him. If Aurelio and Kewell can stay fit that'd be one hell of a left side and Riise wouldn't get a sniff, but it's a big if.

[Kvarme Ate My Food]

I was f***ing made up that he didn't score

[yellow jumper]

thought aurelio-riise was the best pairing down our left last season. with kewell fit, and babel and benayoun now at the club that may no longer be the case, but they were effective again last night.

[stressederic]

Had a good header cleared off the line as well. Not sure where he's been hiding that.

[sutty]

Hed tends to be at the edge of the box for that corner that he can run onto and volley into the crowd.

[yellow jumper]

think he's underrated in the air. he's good defensively in that respect too.

[Guest JV]

think he's underrated in the air. he's good defensively in that respect too.

aye

[Ronnie Whelan]

Its still a pity he cant read the game all that well, which is pretty important, especially if you are going to play at LB.

[Flasher]

He's a good player. Many fans of other clubs rate him highly. I realise that isn't a benchmark for quality, but it's something we should be aware of.

 

I like him, though wouldn't necessarily start him all the time.

 

He would have fit perfectly at Bolton under Allardyce.

[Guest PaulMcC]

I thought he was our worst player last night and didn't play well.

 

It was really noticeable how lacking in technique he was compared to his team mates.

[Armin_Tamzarian]

I've already said this on rawk but what the hell.

 

Riise played well last night. I think one of the major reasons he's getting a game is his physical strength and workrate. Qualities Rafa prizes very highly, probably because his style of play demands so much from players. If he plays Riise at LM he knows he can get 60 or 70 minutes of lungbusting runs, working the opposition whilst covering our LB and still move JAR back for the final 30 when he brings on a 'luxury' player like Kewell or Babel, who will find much more space than JAR enjoyed in the earlier part of the match. Admittedly they're also more adept at using it.

 

He's taking ridiculous stick at present, online and at the match. He has his flaws no question but people are ignoring the positive contributions he's making and it's not fair. He played his part in that game, including assists for a couple of the goals and plenty of hard running. Pepe made a point of acknowledging his part in the first goal which makes me wonder if the poor form/criticism is getting to him.

 

Yes he's been off form but it's also a case of the crowd turning on him. His flaws have always been there but as the team has improved they've become more obvious and the crowd less tolerant. I think he's improved under Benitez, aerially and to a lesser extent positionally but such a one footed player is going to suffer in comparison with Finnan, Aurelio or Arbeloa. We're tending to hold the ball for longer, playing in a confined space further up the pitch and playing less directly than under Houllier and again that's highlighting some of JAR's weaknesses.

 

What's striking now however is that some in the crowd have completely lost any patience with the player whatsoever. It's mirrored on the forums with many people declaring that they've had enough. At the game however it's got ridiculous. I was surprised when his payslip didn't reveal his full name to be John Arne Fer f***s Sake Riise. All players take stick but increasingly where JAR's concerned even if another player has landed him in it or sent him a ball Alonso would struggle with it's sufficient that it's Riise involved for a large number of frustrated supporters to be on his back. What's unfair however is this isn't a player who has given up, who isn't showing for the ball or trying his hardest, just someone in bad form and with certain deficincies in his game, particularly evident given our style.

 

I think he'll go either in January or the Summer and it'll be the right thing for all concerned when he does. In a team playing more directly and willing to exploit his immense capacity for hard work he'll have an opportunity to be praised for the good work he does and not get slaughtered for the weaknesses in his arsenal but until that time, whilst he's wearing a red shirt we as a crowd would do well to get off his back. He's getting selected for a reason and it's a reason that his manager and teammates can appreciate even if a buildup of frustration means we can't. Pepe went running out of his goal to acknowledge JAR's contribution last night. Perhaps it was a subtle signal to all of us to remember that there's a guy trying his best out there that can contribute if he gets the chance.

[Conrad]

I've already said this on rawk but what the hell.

 

Riise played well last night. I think one of the major reasons he's getting a game is his physical strength and workrate. Qualities Rafa prizes very highly, probably because his style of play demands so much from players. If he plays Riise at LM he knows he can get 60 or 70 minutes of lungbusting runs, working the opposition whilst covering our LB and still move JAR back for the final 30 when he brings on a 'luxury' player like Kewell or Babel, who will find much more space than JAR enjoyed in the earlier part of the match. Admittedly they're also more adept at using it.

 

He's taking ridiculous stick at present, online and at the match. He has his flaws no question but people are ignoring the positive contributions he's making and it's not fair. He played his part in that game, including assists for a couple of the goals and plenty of hard running. Pepe made a point of acknowledging his part in the first goal which makes me wonder if the poor form/criticism is getting to him.

 

Yes he's been off form but it's also a case of the crowd turning on him. His flaws have always been there but as the team has improved they've become more obvious and the crowd less tolerant. I think he's improved under Benitez, aerially and to a lesser extent positionally but such a one footed player is going to suffer in comparison with Finnan, Aurelio or Arbeloa. We're tending to hold the ball for longer, playing in a confined space further up the pitch and playing less directly than under Houllier and again that's highlighting some of JAR's weaknesses.

 

What's striking now however is that some in the crowd have completely lost any patience with the player whatsoever. It's mirrored on the forums with many people declaring that they've had enough. At the game however it's got ridiculous. I was surprised when his payslip didn't reveal his full name to be John Arne Fer f***s Sake Riise. All players take stick but increasingly where JAR's concerned even if another player has landed him in it or sent him a ball Alonso would struggle with it's sufficient that it's Riise involved for a large number of frustrated supporters to be on his back. What's unfair however is this isn't a player who has given up, who isn't showing for the ball or trying his hardest, just someone in bad form and with certain deficincies in his game, particularly evident given our style.

 

I think he'll go either in January or the Summer and it'll be the right thing for all concerned when he does. In a team playing more directly and willing to exploit his immense capacity for hard work he'll have an opportunity to be praised for the good work he does and not get slaughtered for the weaknesses in his arsenal but until that time, whilst he's wearing a red shirt we as a crowd would do well to get off his back. He's getting selected for a reason and it's a reason that his manager and teammates can appreciate even if a buildup of frustration means we can't. Pepe went running out of his goal to acknowledge JAR's contribution last night. Perhaps it was a subtle signal to all of us to remember that there's a guy trying his best out there that can contribute if he gets the chance.

 

Excellent post.