Liverpool Rumours And General Discussion 2008/2009

gucci

Cool, look forward to seeing how good they are. think il get the Japan or mexico jersey, just to be bit different once i try on a medium size addidas kit in town just to be on the safe side

Oh and obviously il get this for my brothers birthday, he would love that.....

Dont be at yourself

I would order from these instead of putting money in Hicks' pockets, but paypal makes my head hurt

Tusky

NekkidBibleMan wrote: »

I would order from these instead of putting money in Hicks' pockets, but paypal makes my head hurt

Why does it make your head hurt ? Its pretty damn straightforward.

Dont be at yourself

I've had problems with them before and their support was virtually non-existent.

In other news, Liverpool are actually the best team in Europe.

Liverpool Echo wrote:

LIVERPOOL will go into the forthcoming season as Europe's number one ranked team.
The Reds top UEFA's official rankings thanks to their Champions League performances over the past five seasons.
Having won the competition in 2005, been runners up to AC Milan in 2007 and made it through to the semi-finals this year, Rafa Benitez's team has accrued more ranking points than any other club in Europe.
Liverpool top the rankings table with 104.284 points, giving them a one point lead over Italian giants AC Milan.
Next on the list are Chelsea and Barcelona, with Arsenal in sixth and current Champions League holders Man United in seventh.

I knew Man Utd's win this year was just an aberration!

KevIRL

NekkidBibleMan wrote: »

I've had problems with them before and their support was virtually non-existent.

In other news, Liverpool are actually the best team in Europe.



I knew Man Utd's win this year was just an aberration!

Article from liverpoolfctv, the phrase clutching at straws springs to mind....

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N160051080528-1203.htm


It's official. Liverpool are Europe's number one ranked team according to UEFA for the first time since 1985.
The basis for the UEFA rankings is the performance of teams in the European Cups during a five year period.

Having won the competition in 2005, been runners up to AC Milan in 2007 and losing semi-finalists last season, Rafa Benitez's team has accrued more ranking points than any other club in Europe.

Rafa's men top the rankings table with 104.284 points, giving them a one point lead over Italian giants AC Milan.

Liverpool's recent form in the Champions League also means that they will go into the qualifiers for next season's competition as number one seeds and will thereby avoid the other seeded teams when the draw for the qualifying rounds is made in July.

Behind Rafa's team and AC Milan are Chelsea and Barcelona, with Arsenal in sixth and current Champions League holders Manchester United in seventh.

Other British teams on the UEFA list include Newcastle in 19th, Rangers in 20th, Middlesbrough in 27th, Spurs in 31st, Bolton in 41st, Everton in 44th and Celtic in 52nd.

gucci

The fact that Middlesborough are 27th in that league means i couldnt be bothered reading too indept in to what them articles say!

leninbenjamin

malice_ wrote: »

The fact that there's little or no benefit to Liverpool FC doesn't seem to have crossed their minds at all.

why do you think so? surely if the owners cant generate the needed capital it would be better than sitting on a green field site for the next few years.

why are people so averse to ground sharing anyway? it works well for the two Milan's, Juve and Torino... etc. and it would probably be larger than anything either club could build on their own too...

Chardee MacDennis

no way would i accept a groundshre (if i had any actual say in it) sharing a stadium with anyone would be crap. Its our HOME, its gonna be hard enough to recreate the Kop, the history of the stadium, the atmosphere, the closeness of the dressing room in stanley park without have them blue noses there too cramping our style and having to facilitate their history and how they want the stadium to be. i dont even like the idea of a setup like the city of manchester stadium.

plus it is always fun to go to Goodison and pick up a win...

if the owners cant afford to build our stadium that they have wasted millions on already with no progress then they should GTFO.

but they still wont.

citytillidie

gucci wrote: »

The fact that Middlesborough are 27th in that league means i couldnt be bothered reading too indept in to what them articles say!

Only reason Middlesbrough are so high up is because they reached the Uefa Cup final recently and also all other English clubs get points because of what the big 4 do in the Champions League

dc69

just said on ssn,that juvetus have revealed they are close to signing alsono.I cant believe it,will be terrible if he leaves:(

http://www.sportinglife.com/football/overseas/italy/news/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=international_feed/08/05/28/SOCCER_Ita-Juventus.html&TEAMHD=italy

IrishMike

Anyone think that Van Der Vaart would be an excellent signing?
Undeniable quality, attacking midfielder rather than an out and out winger which Rafa
seems to like and he would be a free agent this summer
Would be a fantastic fantastic bit of business

Mr Alan

i'd be suprised if Alonso leaves, but if he does i think that will mean we'll be getting a very good replacement (Barry?) as well as another big name (ala Torres)

dc69

Mr Alan wrote: »

i'd be suprised if Alonso leaves, but if he does i think that will mean we'll be getting a very good replacement (Barry?) as well as another big name (ala Torres)

It seems to be a done deal,they are just negotiating the price.

Mr Alan

link?

Tusky

Mr Alan wrote: »

i'd be suprised if Alonso leaves, but if he does i think that will mean we'll be getting a very good replacement (Barry?) as well as another big name (ala Torres)

Why would that mean we would be getting another big name ? Barry will cost as much as we will make off Alonso or there abouts.

dc69

Mr Alan wrote: »

link?

I provided a link above


Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli-"It looks like his representative will arrive today," added Gigli. "We can't deny that we're interested, but there's always the problem of getting value for money."

When the representitives arrive its obviously gona quite far.


I know sportinglife arent the best for sources but it was on sky sports news and they quoted the same stuff.

Mr Alan

apologies, missed the link

that article is far from definate

dc69

Mr Alan wrote: »

apologies, missed the link

that article is far from definate

I agree but I would say its more than likely he will go,if his reps are going there today.

hunter164

IrishMike wrote: »

Anyone think that Van Der Vaart would be an excellent signing?
Undeniable quality, attacking midfielder rather than an out and out winger which Rafa
seems to like and he would be a free agent this summer
Would be a fantastic fantastic bit of business

You sure he's a free agent?

Tusky

MY preference on the situation would be to keep Alonso and not buy Barry.

BUT, if we are definitely buying Barry I think Alonso has to be sold. There no way we should be spending 15m on Barry when we have Gerrard, Mascherano, Alonso, Lucas & Plesis in the team considering other areas are v.weak.

So if Rafa is definitely buying Barry, selling Alonso is logical. I have to say that I think it is a step back quality wise.

Cyrus

or it would be if alonso was consistently playing to form which he has not for the past 18 months,

if barry plays like he played for villa last season he'll prolly offer us a little more

Mr Alan

Tusky wrote: »

Why would that mean we would be getting another big name ? Barry will cost as much as we will make off Alonso or there abouts.

yes but up until this point it was assumed in the main that Barrys purchase, if it goes ahead, would be funded by sales of a few of either Riise,Pennant,Crouch,Carson,Finnan,Voronin.

Now with Alonso being sold (possibly) and most of those players on the way out, as well as watever money is made available by the yanks, Degan and possibly Dossena in the bag for about 8 million in total, things may not be as bleak as they appear.

fingers crossed.

Boggles

Barry offers alot more than Alonso, it's the right move.

Rafa also has a huge bargaining chip in Carson, solid keepers are at a premium.

Mr Alan

Tusky wrote: »

I have to say that I think it is a step back quality wise.

Have you watched Barry and Alonso play over the last 2 years?!

IrishMike

Peter Crouch has told Rafa Benitez that he will stay at Anfield to see out the remaining year of his current contract in protest at his £15m price tag. (Daily Star)

Would be a disaster if it happened
A disinterested player in the ranks which would tie up 10m+
Not good

Mr Alan

IrishMike wrote: »

(Daily Star)

Enough said.

Karmafaerie

If Liverpool don't spend more than £50 million this season (Jan included) I'll be massively surprissed.

That includes money made from Sales too.

I reckon the actuall figure will be more than £75 mill.

When you consider that (conservatively) we'll get the following back in.

Crouch = £10 mill
Alonso = £15 mill
Carson = £6 mill
Risse = £3 mill
Vorronin = £2 mill
Pennant = £6 mill

That's £42,000,000 before the yanks pull a penny out of thier pockets!!!

Now take the opposit spectrum, and be very liberal with our spending.

Barry = £15 mill
Dosenna = £8 mill
Degan = £0

That's £23 mill at very very most. (realistacally £20 mill)

That means that without even 1 cent of owner backing, we have a minimum of £19,000,000 left over.
With the actuall prices we'll get it'd be closer to £25,000,000.

Even if the yanks only turf up £15-20 mill, that'd leave us with...

Barry
Dossena
Degan
plus £40-50,000,000 more to spend!

And that's with the owners only backing us with £15-£20 mill!

joe123

Selling alonso is a step back. Barry will cost the best part of 15 million.It seems alonso is going for around that price....what is the point? Why arent we spending that money towards an attacking winger?

On a side note Van der varrt would be an excellent signing I think but if he is a free agent (which i dont think he is) hell cost a bomb. Probably go to chelsea wholl just offer crazy wages.

It really looks like this year we have no money. Especially when it looks like were selling one of our best midfielders in alonso just so we can get barry. Its disapointing.

astrofool

IrishMike wrote: »

Anyone think that Van Der Vaart would be an excellent signing?
Undeniable quality, attacking midfielder rather than an out and out winger which Rafa
seems to like and he would be a free agent this summer
Would be a fantastic fantastic bit of business

VdV would be a big risk to take, he doesn't seem to be mentally strong enough to handle the pressure at a larger club. Hopefully Rafa has learned his lesson after signing Bellamy. Players like this can derail title challenges single handedly.

King John V

malice_ wrote: »

The fact that there's little or no benefit to Liverpool FC doesn't seem to have crossed their minds at all.

It could work in practice but in principle I think most Liverpool fans would be against it. As a club with a proud history and heritage it would be a bit of a step backwards to be fair. Going from their spiritual home in Anfield to ground sharing with their closed rivals would be controversial at the very least.

Hopefully if Crouchy wants to move on he won't get priced out of it. IMO the most Portsmouth, Sunderland or West Ham would pay would be in the 7-10m bracket but certainly not the 15m Benitez seems to want. Any funds of that kind could get the ball rolling with a deal for Silva or Joaquin (even if it is only imaginative speculation). What are your views on Aiden McGeady as an alternative? Would you rate as as good or better than what's at the pool already?

hunter164

McGeady ain't good enough I think.

SantryRed

That price for Crouch is ridiculous considering he's only one year left on his contract. It would take a stupid decision to buy someone for that muc hwhen you can get him on a free a season after.

King John V

It the price was right Van der Vaart could be decent. I think he could certainly offer more options up front and if combined with another top rate striker Liverpool could put in a serious title challenge next year.

IrishMike

King John V wrote: »

It could work in practice but in principle I think most Liverpool fans would be against it. As a club with a proud history and heritage it would be a bit of a step backwards to be fair. Going from their spiritual home in Anfield to ground sharing with their closed rivals would be controversial at the very least.

He singlehandly brought a poor Hamburg team into the CL and rescued them
from 17th the next season to ending up 7th even though he was out
injured till january.
He is another Steven Gerrard and is a different man from the playboy
that he used to be at Ajax.
Plus his missus is flipping unreal, wouldnt mind seeing her sprawled over the
front of the papers every weekend!
Oh and i just looked into it, he is not a free agent, is contracted till 2010.
Is refusing to sign a new contract since Jan though and seems to want a move.
Would be pricey but is 5x the player bentley ever will be and would be the same price

King John V

IrishMike wrote: »

He singlehandly brought a poor Hamburg team into the CL and rescued them
from 17th the next season to ending up 7th even though he was out
injured till january.
He is another Steven Gerrard and is a different man from the playboy
that he used to be at Ajax.

Would be pricey but is 5x the player bentley ever will be and would be the same price

I fully agree. I think he could be a classy buy and a long way ahead of some of the other names they're been mentioned with. There's always the calculated risk of how he settles but the same was said about Torres last year. Worth a punt anyway.

Boggles

Martin Jol might not be too pleased to hear he might be losing his best player.

Unearthly

SantryRed wrote: »

That price for Crouch is ridiculous considering he's only one year left on his contract. It would take a stupid decision to buy someone for that muc hwhen you can get him on a free a season after.

Agreed

and he isn't exactly first choice at Liverpool anymore lowering his value even more.

Tusky

Mr Alan wrote: »

Have you watched Barry and Alonso play over the last 2 years?!

Yeah. Barry has been consistently good. Alonso has been exceptional at times, good at times, and indifferent at times.

This season he recovered from two metatarsal injuries, the same injury that kept Agger out all season. Towards the end of the season he was starting to look like a top player again.

Saying Alonso has been poor for two years is a bit of an exaggeration. He was poor this year and was a bit inconsistent last year.

I dont think we should sell a player of his ability and potential because he has been inconsistent for 18 months. Rafa should try and get him back to his best. He wants to stay, he should stay.

IrishMike

Tusky wrote: »

Yeah. Barry has been consistently good. Alonso has been exceptional at times, good at times, and indifferent at times.

This season he recovered from two metatarsal injuries, the same injury that kept Agger out all season. Towards the end of the season he was starting to look like a top player again.

Saying Alonso has been poor for two years is a bit of an exaggeration. He was poor this year and was a bit inconsistent last year.

I dont think we should sell a player of his ability and potential because he has been inconsistent for 18 months. Rafa should try and get him back to his best. He wants to stay, he should stay.

Completely agree.
If alonso is sold no matter who we buy it will be a step back.
We need top quality to win the big games which is what alonso is.
He is a superior player to Barry and should be given a chance to
come good after a season blighted by injuries.

Mr Alan

Look i like Alonso, and i dont want him sold, i want him and Barry there next year.

But Alonsos form was off quite some time before his injury troubles this year, and Alonso has not been exceptional for the last 2 years, honestly, come on. Off form alonso=good. and that is wat he has been for the last 2 years good.

Barry has been better than him for the vast majority of that time.

Tusky

Xabi Alonso's future at Liverpool won't be decided anytime soon, it has been revealed.
With Juventus hovering, Xabi's agent, Inaki Ibanez, told La Stampa: "We'll decide after the European Championships. But I have a clear idea, namely Liverpool would like to sell. But we must first speak with Rafa Benitez."

In regards to the jerseys. More pictures from another forum. I didnt receive mine yet though. They apparently look 100% genuine. Heres some more pictures. I will of course, post up pictures of my shirt once it arrives.

Tusky

Mr Alan wrote: »

Look i like Alonso, and i dont want him sold, i want him and Barry there next year.

But Alonsos form was off quite some time before his injury troubles this year, and Alonso has not been exceptional for the last 2 years, honestly, come on. Off form alonso=good. and that is wat he has been for the last 2 years good.

Barry has been better than him for the vast majority of that time.

Gerrard, Barry, Alonso, Mascherano, Lucas, Plessis would be retarded. Even if you dont count Gerrard as a CM.

Mr Alan

i'd send Lucas and/or Plessis out on loan

tonc76

Karmafaerie wrote: »

When you consider that (conservatively) we'll get the following back in.

Crouch = £10 mill
Alonso = £15 mill
Carson = £6 mill
Risse = £3 mill
Vorronin = £2 mill
Pennant = £6 mill

That's £42,000,000 before the yanks pull a penny out of thier pockets!!!

I know its still early but the only one of these that is "wanted" by another team is Alonso so far.

Are people convinced that the others would be snapped up??

Like Voronin - a few pages back it was said that he'd go for a mars bar and a packet of crisps ..... I believe he is overvalued even at that

5ForKeeps

So it looks Xabi leaving which is sad to see, i was hoping he would regain his form he showed when he first joined. Surely, Rafa is smart enough not to let this happen unless the Barry deal is done....I will wait with curiosity at what will be brought in during the next few weeks.

Karmafaerie

tonc76 wrote: »

I know its still early but the only one of these that is "wanted" by another team is Alonso so far.

Are people convinced that the others would be snapped up??

Like Voronin - a few pages back it was said that he'd go for a mars bar and a packet of crisps ..... I believe he is overvalued even at that

Crouch has been linked to Sunderland, Portsmouth, and Aston Villa.
Riise to Juventus
Carson to Villa
Voronin to Schalke and Leverkusen
Pennant hasn't been linked anywhere yet, but he would go if listed.

And obviously Alonso to Real and Juve.

All of those players would go if offered.

zing

Tusky wrote: »

Gerrard, Barry, Alonso, Mascherano, Lucas, Plessis would be retarded.

Makes for a crap song too

zing

Karmafaerie wrote: »

Voronin to Schalke and Leverkusen

+ Stuttgart

whatawaster

Mr Alan wrote: »

i'd send Lucas and/or Plessis out on loan

That would be madness i think. Lucas will be pushing hard to be first choice next season. It would be very strange to send him away and could hinder his development. Plessis maybe, but i think given that we play 3 in midfield now, we need 6 players to cover those positions. At the moment we only have Masch, Alonso (Barry), Lucas and Gerrard as recognised first teamers. Plessis can imo play a bit part role next season, covering when needed. Aside from replacing Alonso with Barry, i think we need one more backup CM. Someone young perhaps a la Lucas last season.

I'm coming around more and more to selling Alonso, but only for 15 million plus.
He has contributed very little in the last 2 years. And if we got Barry for 10 - 12 million and the other young backup/potential star for 5 or so, our midfield will be sorted for years at little net outlay. We'll have a fine mixture of youth (Lucas, Plessis, New Guy), Experience (Barry, Gerrard) and Mascherano somewhere in between.

Also that should mean that we have plenty of money to spend in other key areas this summer. Assuming we bring in a further 25 million (Carson 6, Riise 4, Crouch 8, Pennant 6, Finnan 1) and get 20 million from the owners we could have 45 million to spend on other areas. Possibly as follows:

Dossena 8, Zarate 10, Silva 16, Backup striker/Torres' strike partner 10

tonc76

Karmafaerie wrote: »

Crouch has been linked to Sunderland, Portsmouth, and Aston Villa.
Riise to Juventus
Carson to Villa
Voronin to Schalke and Leverkusen
Pennant hasn't been linked anywhere yet, but he would go if listed.

And obviously Alonso to Real and Juve.

All of those players would go if offered.

What I meant was that Alonso's deal seems to be going ahead now

Everyone is being linked everywhere

Torres has been linked to Chelsea afterall