Liverpool Rumours And General Discussion 2008/2009

emc2

Karmafaerie wrote: »

I fail to see how Andersson is worlds apart from his National (underage) captain!

Anderson adapted to the premiership better in his first season, as he's physically bigger, and was playing in his acustomed role.
Lucas was playing differently than he's used to, and as a naturally smaller player, has to bulk up a bit to fit in with the physicality of the premiership.

To say that they're "worlds apart" is very misleading.

Also Anderson had spent some time in Portugal before coming to the England which would have helped him to settle quicker at UTD than Lucas at Liverpool.

King John V

No doubt Villa would make a fine make-shift right winger!:D.

mike65

Kenwyne Jones is this seasons Peter Crouch, everyone going what the fupp????? then saying, 'well okay if Rafa sees something in him' and then hoping for the best.

If 16 million is what Juve really want to pay and Barry is on his way then I'd be happy enough with that.

Mike.

King John V

mike65 wrote: »

Kenwyne Jones is this seasons Peter Crouch, everyone going what the fupp????? then saying, 'well okay if Rafa sees something in him' and then hoping for the best.

Mike.

I'd have to rate Kenwyne as a sharper player than Crouch. He's younger and has loads more potential. This season his goal scoring wasn't too high but his team assists and all round game were very strong. His biggest weakness is that his skills still need to be honed a bit, a diamond in the rough. With more premiership experience and a decent team behind him he'll be one of the PL top strikers.

GBX

King John V wrote: »

Any views?

I think Jones is a good player ... but dont we already have the big target striker in Crouch? I cant see how they would sell Crouch and spend more on somebody that Crouch could do the same job. Its interesting if this is true ... why would Benetiz be looking to sell and then buy a similar striker?

King John V

Well, Crouch is eager for game time, something Benitez can't promise him. Jones is young, hungry and could be lured to a big club with Champion's League football every year. But, Benitez is no fool. He knows he'll have to give priority to strengthening the wings in pre-season. Selling the fringe players + Alonso would probably generate enough for two top midfielders + a quality striker who is still relatively unknown by the big clubs...ie Jones.

Dont be at yourself

On Kenwyne Jones: He'd make a fine back-up/alternative to Torres.

On Villa: He's predominantly a striker, but he has played off a front man for Valencia with some success, in a system similar to ours. Silva's still the better option for that position though.

On Lucas/Anderson: Anderson is, in real practical terms, streets ahead of Lucas at the moment. That is not to say Lucas is not a good footballer, just that Anderson has made a huge impact with Man Utd, and has showed he is already up-to-speed with the Premiership.

Lucas is perhaps the better footballer, but he's also perhaps accustomed to more time on the ball and to a less physical game, and he has - to everybody's eyes - not adapted as quickly. We can hope that he'll make the step-up next season, but it would be a big gamble to rely on him to do so - especially as he'll be playing in the Olympics during Liverpool's pre-season.

Malice

hunter164 wrote: »

Ye but Silva can play there...........

But the question was about Villa.

Dont be at yourself

But the question was about Villa.

I think the point is that if we're going to buy someone from Valencia to play off Torres in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Silva is the better option...

Dub13

Share Liverpool Update

Hello,

I just want to extend an invitation to anybody who might be interested to attend the official launch of the above tomorrow at Citywest.



We were actually going to use the launch to establish contact with the various groups around Ireland but if people are in the area they are most welcome.



Citywest Hotel at 12.30.



Give me a call if you need any more information.



Regards

Mr Alan

Latest Statement from the SOS:

LFC's Marketing blurb says:
"It's not a badge, it's a family crest. Nothing is impossible."
Adidas Poster.

"It's set to be a paradise for Liverpool fans - the biggest official
club shop anywhere in Europe." Club Press Release about the new club
shop opening tomorrow.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldow ... 2-0940.htm

A paradise for Liverpool supporters. A veritable utopia for us all.

Whatever the marketing blurb says we know that paradise isn't a place
where Manchester United are league and European Champions and look like
investing significantly this summer from a position of strength. We know
paradise isn't inertia; two owners desperate to wring every last penny
over their abortive eighteen months in charge of the football club. We
know paradise isn't being lied to again and again. It isn't Rick Parry.
It isn't David Moores. This isn't paradise but, well, nothing is
impossible.

Supporting this football club isn't buying into a franchise; it's
committing yourself to shared values and aspirations. It's a necessity
of modern football that this collective identity is taken and sold back
to us. However that doesn't mean we should accept it when those shared
values and aspirations aren't simply being ignored but are being ridden
roughshod over by those who stand to gain from our support.

We've asked you to withhold that support wherever possible and we ask
you to do so again. We've asked you to spread this word around and we
ask you to do so again. We've asked each and every one of you to
consider every pound that goes into the football club as being a pound
which goes towards us paying off a debt which is not ours, which has not
been instituted for the benefit of the football club but for the two
greedy individuals who hold our potential back, and work out whether or
not that pound is worth spending.

The fight has dragged on but that doesn't make it any less worth
fighting and it doesn't make it any less urgent. Every day that passes
damages our club and we're looking for new fronts to open, to
re-emphasise there is no custodianship here, no integrity, no honesty,
no dignity. Nothing that makes LFC fans proud.

Next week we're hoping to start sending membership packs out, we're
hoping to launch the online membership. Within our membership packs is a
badge. The badge we send out isn't just a badge, isn't a family crest
but it is a simple statement - that the wearer will not accept our
shared values being destroyed, that the wearer will fight against this
now, and will ensure that after this fight has been won the next
custodians will be held to account.

We know nothing is impossible; that's why we're here: an organisation
created from the ground up, energised by Liverpool supporters who will
not watch what they believe in be eroded by lies and ongoing
incompetence. A democratic organisation which has and will continue to
speak for the collective, speak for the shared values and aspirations
and will speak out as the erosion takes place. We still need your energy
and your support; we shall always need it if we are to fulfil what we
said we would. We can only come together and hold the club to account
for years to come if we do stand together as a massed force of Liverpool
supporters.

Paradise isn't a shop. It's being one red in a crowd, urging this
football club towards success.

Spirit Of Shankly.

zing

Why are people hung up on last years formation with everyone filling the exact same spots ? Sure it worked well but the likes of Villa or Silva would give much needed decent competition up front and give us more options in general. Did Rafa persist with playing Gerrard behind Torres as it got the best out of both of them or was it because no one else was good enough to be playing regularly up front ? ... or was it a little bit from pot a and a little bit from pot b ?

There's a world of a difference in quality between Torres & the rest of the strike force which needs to be addressed. I'm delighted to see us linked with the likes of Villa - maybe it shows there's hope for this seasons transfers after all.

Malice

NekkidBibleMan wrote: »

I think the point is that if we're going to buy someone from Valencia to play off Torres in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Silva is the better option...

Fair enough .

Tusky

NekkidBibleMan wrote: »

I wouldn't spend silly money on Villa though. He's no spring chicken, and his scoring record for the past couple of seasons hasn't been that great. It the fee approaches 20 million, I think there are better options.

Still, it looks like Valencia's finances are very poor, and they're on the back of a terrible season. They're going to have to offload some of their big-names this summer, and they wont be able to hold clubs to ransom.

No spring chicken ? Hes 26 isnt he?!

I beg to differ about about his scoring record.

07/08 - 22 goals in 38 apperances
06/07 - 26 goals in 60 apperances
05/06 - 25 goals in 38 apperances

Also, take a look at his career totals.

Valencia - 72 goals in 136 games
Real Zaragosa - 32 goals in 73 games
Sporting de Gijon - 51 goals in 115 games
Spain - 18 goals in 30 games


Damn impressive scoring record. I dont think we should buy him unless we are changing our system though otherwise he would be playing wide right. Id rather we buy Silva.

gucci

Tusky wrote: »

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.

Any post today? Itching to order here......

Chardee MacDennis

zing wrote: »

Why are people hung up on last years formation with everyone filling the exact same spots ? Sure it worked well but the likes of Villa or Silva would give much needed decent competition up front and give us more options in general. Did Rafa persist with playing Gerrard behind Torres as it got the best out of both of them or was it because no one else was good enough to be playing regularly up front ? ... or was it a little bit from pot a and a little bit from pot b ?

There's a world of a difference in quality between Torres & the rest of the strike force which needs to be addressed. I'm delighted to see us linked with the likes of Villa - maybe it shows there's hope for this seasons transfers after all.

well after stevies performance last night i would be happy to see him out wide on either side, doubt he'd be chuffed though!

Tusky

gucci wrote: »

Any post today? Itching to order here......

aye, just about to post up pictures now!

IrishMike

NekkidBibleMan wrote: »

On Kenwyne Jones: He'd make a fine back-up/alternative to Torres.

On Villa: He's predominantly a striker, but he has played off a front man for Valencia with some success, in a system similar to ours. Silva's still the better option for that position though.

On Lucas/Anderson: Anderson is, in real practical terms, streets ahead of Lucas at the moment. That is not to say Lucas is not a good footballer, just that Anderson has made a huge impact with Man Utd, and has showed he is already up-to-speed with the Premiership.

Lucas is perhaps the better footballer, but he's also perhaps accustomed to more time on the ball and to a less physical game, and he has - to everybody's eyes - not adapted as quickly. We can hope that he'll make the step-up next season, but it would be a big gamble to rely on him to do so - especially as he'll be playing in the Olympics during Liverpool's pre-season.

Damn u, u said everything i wanted to say but just much more articulately!
Seriously agree with everything posted.
Jones would be a fantastic fantastic buy, have said that numerous times.
But, and its a huge but, Sunderland have money to burn and are not going
to part with their best player for 12m or anywhere near it IMHO.

griffdaddy

SOS should try to organise making a red jersey that has a message or something on it and looks close to the official thing but doesn't tread on any copyright or anything and sell it for cheap. They could give the profits to some cause, and it would be a great way for people to genuinely support their club, show their colours and mess around the yanks.

IrishMike

Tusky wrote: »

No spring chicken ? Hes 26 isnt he?!

I beg to differ about about his scoring record.

07/08 22 goals in 38 apperances
06/07 - 26 goals in 60 apperances
05/06 - 25 goals in 38 apperances

Also, take a look at his career totals.

Valencia - 58 goals in 101 games
Real Zaragosa - 32 goals in 73 games
Sporting de Gijon - 51 goals in 115 games
Spain - 18 goals in 30 games

TOTAL 159 goals in 319 games.

Damn impressive scoring record. I dont think we should buy him unless we are changing our system though otherwise he would be playing wide right. Id rather we buy Silva.

Villa plays in a deep position for Valencia or so eze was saying in another thread.
He watches La Liga weekly and says Villa would be perfect in Kuyts position.
He has pace and can dribble and has a great eye for goal.
Put kuyt on the left, its not as if it will effect his defensive performances

gucci

Tusky wrote: »

aye, just about to post up pictures now!

drum roll........on the edge of my seat here..........actually im just planning my trip to see rage against the machine in madrid at the weekend.....i might wait til i come back to order, might pick up a shirt over there either!

Tusky

It looks and feels 100% genuine. If it was on a shelf in a shop I wouldnt think twice about buying it. The material feels completely real. The badge and adidas logo are stitched on and feel real. It has all the Adidas & climacool tags on. The lettering looks completely real as well. I highly recommend!

I'll edit my post with more pictures as they upload.

Dont be at yourself

Why are people hung up on last years formation with everyone filling the exact same spots ? Sure it worked well but the likes of Villa or Silva would give much needed decent competition up front and give us more options in general. Did Rafa persist with playing Gerrard behind Torres as it got the best out of both of them or was it because no one else was good enough to be playing regularly up front ? ... or was it a little bit from pot a and a little bit from pot b ?

There's a world of a difference in quality between Torres & the rest of the strike force which needs to be addressed. I'm delighted to see us linked with the likes of Villa - maybe it shows there's hope for this seasons transfers after all.

That's a valid point. However, there's no denying that the introduction of 4-2-3-1 resulted in a drastic turn-around in the team's fortunes, and it undoubtedly gets the best out of our 3 best players - Torres, Gerrard and Macherano. Gerrard isn't anywhere near as good as an orthodox central midfielder, or playing in from the right, and it would be a real shame to change the system if it meant reducing Gerrard's effectiveness.

Rafa also had a huge amount of success playing a similar 4-2-3-1, and his buys last summer were more suited to that system than a generic 4-4-2. Bennayoung, and particularly Babel, are not wingers, but they both thrive as attacking midfielders playing in the current system. Pennant's demotion to the reserves spoke volumes about Rafa's intentions.

If we do switch to 4-4-2, or a variation, we'll realistically need to buy both a top class left and right winger - and settle for Crouch or Babel partnering Torres, or spending on another top class striker. With our current system, we're pretty well covered in all positions, and only need to add one top quality wing-forward and replace the players who are leaving.

gucci

Tusky wrote: »

It looks and feels 100% genuine. If it was on a shelf in a shop I wouldnt think twice about buying it. The material feels completely real. The badge and adidas logo are stitched on and feel real. It has all the Adidas & climacool tags on. The lettering looks completely real as well. I highly recommend!

I'll edit my post with more pictures as they upload.

Good enough for me. Thanks and well to wear :pac::pac::pac:

Tusky

Everyone does realize we have never been directly linked to Villa ? The only reason people are talking about him is because a few months ago when directly asked about the premiership he said he had alot of friends and Liverpool and Arsenal played good football. Thats it. There has been no other links!

King John V

Very nice shirt Tusky. And the whole lot came to 22 euro with postage and all? Not too bad at all.

I see no reason to change from the 4-2-3-1 formation if it works well. Babel was very good last season and was classy in the CL semis against Chelsea and with Kuyt already there 1 more top drawer winger would make all the difference.

kaimera

Tusky wrote: »

It looks and feels 100% genuine. If it was on a shelf in a shop I wouldnt think twice about buying it. The material feels completely real. The badge and adidas logo are stitched on and feel real. It has all the Adidas & climacool tags on. The lettering looks completely real as well. I highly recommend!

I'll edit my post with more pictures as they upload.

Cant view pics but just ordered 90e worth of gear before I saw your post about your jersey arriving. {from the site you mentioned}

Damn my brother and his 'thing' for jerseys!

Tusky

kaimera wrote: »

Cant view pics but just ordered 90e worth of gear before I say your post.

Damn my brother and his 'thing' for jerseys!

From the website that I posted up or ? Word of warning. I never got a confirmation email from them and after I paid & the status never changed from 'awaiting payment'. This worried me so I emailed them twice about it and got no reply. I ordered on the 22nd and it arrived on the 29th.

Also, we have had a 9.5m bid rejected for Riera.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_3624185,00.html

Dont be at yourself

No spring chicken ? Hes 26 isnt he?!

I beg to differ about about his scoring record.

07/08 - 22 goals in 38 apperances
06/07 - 26 goals in 60 apperances
05/06 - 25 goals in 38 apperances

Also, take a look at his career totals.

Valencia - 72 goals in 136 games
Real Zaragosa - 32 goals in 73 games
Sporting de Gijon - 51 goals in 115 games
Spain - 18 goals in 30 games


Damn impressive scoring record. I dont think we should buy him unless we are changing our system though otherwise he would be playing wide right. Id rather we buy Silva.

I stand corrected, I thought he was around the 28/29 year old mark.

His scoring record is good, but he's only hit the magic 20 league goals in a season one time - and that was 3 years ago. Since then he's scored 16 in 36, and 18 in 28.

Those figures are respectable - impressive, even - but Villa comes with a huge reputation and rumoured price-tag that have outgrown reality. La Liga is teeming with strikers with similar strike rates, of a similar quality, but without the huge reputation and asking-price. So, if Valencia play hardball (anything over 15 million would be pushing it, all things considered), I think we should move on...

Some alternatives:

Freddie Kanoute (Sevilla): He's 30, but he's a proven goalscorer in both the Premiership and La Liga. Possibly available, after Sevilla's poor season and lack of Champions League football next year. He scored 16 in 25 starts last year, and 21 in 32 the year before - comparing favourably with Villa.

Daniel Guiza (Mallorca): He's 27, and he plays for Mallorca, though the likes of Barca have been linked with him. He's a journeyman, and he's also temperamental, though he seems to have sorted himself out this year. he hit 27 goals in 37 appearances this year in La Liga, making him top scorer. I think he's also made the Spanish squad for Euro 2008, ahead of the likes of Raul.

Diego Milito (Zaragoza): A player we've been linked with before. Plays for Zaragoza, but likely wont be there next season, when they'll be playing second tier football. Got 15 goals in 33 games in a struggling side this year, and hit 23 in 37 last season. Likely to be available on the cheap.

Nihat (Villarreal): The club arent likely to want to sell as they've qualified for the Champions League, but he'd still be cheaper than Villa. Scored 18 in 25 last year.

That's just La Liga. Serie A also has an abundance of quality strikers, many of whom seem to be on the move this year. Cassano is apparently making the switch to Sampdoria permanently for 5 million euro - an absolute steal, if they can keep his wild side in check. I know it wont happen, but he'd be a decent addition as a foil for Torres or on the left of our attacking trio.

zAbbo

I must say, you've lovely hands there Tusky, very soft, no?

King John V

Thought everyone could do with a laugh

Manchester United footballer Gary Neville has fallen victim to two prankster builders who created a shrine to Liverpool FC under his swimming pool.

Liverpudlian brothers Brian and Gary Greer buried a Liverpool scarf and a copy of Kop, the club's fanzine, and a match programme, in a plastic tube when they worked on the England defender's pool.
"While we were there we created a Scouse time capsule under the pool and tiled over the top of it," Brian Greer told The Sun newspaper.
"When his house is dug up in the future, archaeologists will see what a passion he had for the Red men."
The millionaire footballer has spent years renovating his 12-bedroom farmhouse near Bolton.
His dislike of Liverpool FC was only too evident when he celebrated a goal against them too enthusiastically by running the length of the pitch and was fined £5,000 by the Football Association.
Another story has it that angry Liverpool fans tried to overturn his car after spotting him stuck in match traffic in Salford Quays, a mile or so from Manchester United's Old Trafford grounds.
A Manchester United source told the Sun: "Gary is United through and through. He might not like the idea of swimming over a Liverpool shrine."
Another added: "He's aware of this. To say he is less than pleased is an understatement."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2048301/Gary-Neville-builders-create-Liverpool-FC-shrine-under-Manchester-United-player's-pool.html

zAbbo

How old is that story?

King John V

It appeared in one of today's papers but yeah its probably done the rounds once or twice before.

Tusky

zAbbo wrote: »

I must say, you've lovely hands there Tusky, very soft, no?

Thanks man, I moisturize. The Spain shirt story was just a smokescreen to show them off.

NekkidBibleMan wrote: »

I stand corrected, I thought he was around the 28/29 year old mark.

His scoring record is good, but he's only hit the magic 20 league goals in a season one time - and that was 3 years ago. Since then he's scored 16 in 36, and 18 in 28.

Those figures are respectable - impressive, even - but Villa comes with a huge reputation and rumoured price-tag that have outgrown reality. La Liga is teeming with strikers with similar strike rates, of a similar quality, but without the huge reputation and asking-price. So, if Valencia play hardball (anything over 15 million would be pushing it, all things considered), I think we should move on...

Some alternatives:

Freddie Kanoute (Sevilla): He's 30, but he's a proven goalscorer in both the Premiership and La Liga. Possibly available, after Sevilla's poor season and lack of Champions League football next year. He scored 16 in 25 starts last year, and 21 in 32 the year before - comparing favourably with Villa.

Daniel Guiza (Mallorca): He's 27, and he plays for Mallorca, though the likes of Barca have been linked with him. He's a journeyman, and he's also temperamental, though he seems to have sorted himself out this year. he hit 27 goals in 37 appearances this year in La Liga, making him top scorer. I think he's also made the Spanish squad for Euro 2008, ahead of the likes of Raul.

Diego Milito (Zaragoza): A player we've been linked with before. Plays for Zaragoza, but likely wont be there next season, when they'll be playing second tier football. Got 15 goals in 33 games in a struggling side this year, and hit 23 in 37 last season. Likely to be available on the cheap.

Nihat (Villarreal): The club arent likely to want to sell as they've qualified for the Champions League, but he'd still be cheaper than Villa. Scored 18 in 25 last year.

That's just La Liga. Serie A also has an abundance of quality strikers, many of whom seem to be on the move this year. Cassano is apparently making the switch to Sampdoria permanently for 5 million euro - an absolute steal, if they can keep his wild side in check. I know it wont happen, but he'd be a decent addition as a foil for Torres or on the left of our attacking trio.

I'm fairly sure Villa has scored more goals than anyone else in La Liga over the past 5 years. He has consistently scored 20+ a season and his record for every team he has played for is one in two. The only person that could possibly rival him is Eto'o but he hasnt had the best season. He is an incredibly hard working, clinical striker.

Those other strikers you posted up are good, but they are not in the same league as Villa. Compare their scoring records over the past 5 or 6 seasons to his and they will pale in comparison. Also, its worth noting that he scored 22 goals this season for a Valencia side that almost got relegated.

mike65

Enough of the homo-erotic undertones!



Mike.

Tusky

mike65 wrote: »

Enough of the homo-erotic undertones!

Mike.

I want to put my Villa in your Eto'o, baby.

I know Gerrard wouldnt like this but if we did buy Villa (which we wont:P) this would be my preferred line up.

---

Torres

Babel

---

Villa

---

Gerrard

zing

NekkidBibleMan - I wasn't necessarily advocating switching to a 4-4-2 system - more that we need more players who can both compete with and compliment Torres in whatever system. There seems to be an automatic assumption that because the Torres/Gerrard partnership did wonders last season that anyone else brought in would have to be accomodatated around them. Why should that be the case ? In terms of quality we have no real cover for Torres at the moment and that's something which I feel needs to be addressed over the summer. I don't even want to think about where we'd have finished last season if Torrres had had a prolonged absense from the starting XI through injury.

You do make a good point about the likes of Yossi & Babel. People keep going on about us needing wingers but if you look at the wide players Rafa has brought in recently they're not out & out chalk on the boots wingers - they're all players who like to cut in. And they were brought in well before he settled on a system. People seem to overlook this. Yes we need players with better delivery into the box but tbh I'd be a bit surprised to see us buy an out & out winger.

King John V

The funds will most likely be limited to what he gets from selling fringe players. It then makes sense to try and find transfers that accomadate his two best scorers (Torres and Gerrard), in the model that has worked best (4-2-3-1). The players most likely to add extra fire power to the starting eleven under this model would be attacking wingers (Van der Vaart) or ones who can switch to up front if needed (e.g Kuyt in the current team), as opposed to out and out strikers.

I still think he'll invest in a true striker over the summer to compete with Torres, and provide cover and depth in the squad. Just not with priority over a winger.

Karmafaerie

I wonder if we go off and spend £100 million will people still be talking about limited funds!!!


We're about to sign our most expensive defender ever, Garath Barry would be our second most expensive midfielder ever, and are supposedly in talks with Valencia about buying our second most expensive attacker ever!

Rafa has himself come out and said that it would be a very busy transfer season with a lot of players coming and going.

The Euros are starting soon, and alot of players don't want to discuss moves untill after then.

But still everyone and their mother knows for a fact that Liverpool have limited funds!

Amazing, isn't it!!!

King John V

Karmafaerie wrote: »

I wonder if we go off and spend £100 million will people still be talking about limited funds!!!


We're about to sign our most expensive defender ever, Garath Barry would be our second most expensive midfielder ever, and are supposedly in talks with Valencia about buying our second most expensive attacker ever!

Rafa has himself come out and said that it would be a very busy transfer season with a lot of players coming and going.

The Euros are starting soon, and alot of players don't want to discuss moves untill after then.

But still everyone and their mother knows for a fact that Liverpool have limited funds!

Amazing, isn't it!!!

But all of those transfer targets are going to be covered by the outgoing players: Alonso (seems very likely + the list of other names). I'll stand corrected if I'm wrong, but the impression I get is that the Americans will provide very little in terms of transfer funds outside of that activity. Hence the limited funds.

If the money wasn't restricted why did Benitez feel the need to say this.

It's more difficult than in Spain because the top sides spend big, big money. We will try to do our best and the key for me is to not talk about the title," he told Liverpoolfc.tv.

It would be fantastic if he was given a 100m war chest to out spend united and Chelsea but people also need to stay realistic.

Bounty Hunter

dc69 wrote: »

Randy learner is worth about the same as hicks,we have 2 billionaires.Paper billionaires,the same as Villa,except villa cost less than 100m for learner,where as Liverpool cost 4X that much.If Learner could have afforded a better club he would have bought them,its not feasable to pump serious money into villa.

Just face facts,Barry is coming to Liverpool and if we want a Villa player we will have him.Villa are a small club,im sorry for being harsh but thats how it is.

The news reports saying Alonso is gone,just confirms that Barry will be coming.

Do you really think i was being serious when i suggested that Gerrard might go to Villa? if so you need your head checked, i even added a and got a few thanks from pool fans (prob for giving them a giggle).

Jazzy wrote:

on behalf of everyone on this board - shut the f**k up. villa came 6th last season and seem to be on the way up, whereas liverpool should be higher but are struggling to keep up with the other top 3.
u sound so pompus in that post its unbelievable. gives all us other pool fans a bad name

sums it up perfectly so i wont bother to continue on this topic.

On Villa (The player) Iirc he has played most of his football this season as a WF (eZe might be able to confirm) this season so he could be an option although if a valencia player was to join Pool especially an attacking one I would expect Silva more so (especially seing as ive actually seen him linked). He has seemed like a quality player any time ive seen him play.

Pool will need between :
15-20mil for Silva
20-25+ for Villa

and as far as Barry is concerned,there are rumours that he might be Captain for England against T&T with the Champions league players staying behind,and Capello wanting to pass the captaincy around (Gerrard has had it) before he makes a decision. Wonder will this add to his Value if true

Mr Alan

the reason we're breaking our own transfer records is simple:

1)Our own records were so low and easy to beat
2)We've gotten more money to spend due to the revised television deal.
3)Our recent good showings in the CL have created money where there used to be none

This would all be great news, if it wasnt for the fact that pretty all the same can be said of all other clubs.Villa/Spurs/Everton/Newcastle/Portsmouth

On top of this, the top 2 clubs still have the financial ability to out muscle us anytime they so wish. The americans were meant to signal the end of this and move us onto a next level. They haven't. We've moved there naturally as have all the other clubs in the league.

Worrying times.

evil_seed

just as a matter of interest where do people use for their rumours re the pool?

Dont be at yourself

zing wrote:

NekkidBibleMan - I wasn't necessarily advocating switching to a 4-4-2 system - more that we need more players who can both compete with and compliment Torres in whatever system. There seems to be an automatic assumption that because the Torres/Gerrard partnership did wonders last season that anyone else brought in would have to be accomodatated around them. Why should that be the case ? In terms of quality we have no real cover for Torres at the moment and that's something which I feel needs to be addressed over the summer. I don't even want to think about where we'd have finished last season if Torrres had had a prolonged absense from the starting XI through injury.

You do make a good point about the likes of Yossi & Babel. People keep going on about us needing wingers but if you look at the wide players Rafa has brought in recently they're not out & out chalk on the boots wingers - they're all players who like to cut in. And they were brought in well before he settled on a system. People seem to overlook this. Yes we need players with better delivery into the box but tbh I'd be a bit surprised to see us buy an out & out winger.

To be honest, if we have Crouch and Kuyt, I don't think a top-quality striker is at all necessary, not when we have an obvious short-coming elsewhere that will probably require big money to solve.

Obviously our squad needs options, but we have quite a number of options as it is. Torres & Crouch has been used on occasions, as has Voronin & Kuyt, and Babel can also play up front. Our other strikers may not be of the same quality as Torres, but they can certainly play alongside him, or step up if Torres gets injured.

Obviously, if we sell Crouch and/or Voronin, things will change.

Tusky: I don't know if that star regarding Villa's scoring over the last 5 years is correct, though it sounds like it could be. Looking behind that stat though, how many strikers have played consistently in La Liga over the last 5 years? The likes of Kanoute and Forlan only arrived relatively recently, others were playing reserve football, so I wouldnt draw too much from that stat.

If we include cup runs, he has scored over 20 in his last 3 seasons. Looking at league figures, he's only hit over 20 once - which isn't spectacular, considering he has been the focal point of what are, despite recent form, a very effective team. Isn't he Valencia's penalty taker, also?

This year he scored 18 league goals - 5 other players scored the same amount of more.

So no, he's not a bad player. However, I dont believe that there is a significant gulf in quality between him and, say, Kanoute or Milito. Despite this, he would likely command a fee greatly in excess of other strikers with comparable records.

But hey, as you say, this all probably academic. Rafa no doubt has other things on his mind...

King John V

I wonder is there any truth in the rumour: Crouch + cash to Villa in exchange for Barry.

mike65

Crouch to Pompey is the likely move. 'arry is a known fan.

Mike.

Mr Alan

I get all my transfer rumours from Mike65.

mike65

I would be surprised if Villa Park was where he ended up.

Mike.

zing

IIRC Crouch was one of the 'no name' players offered to Villa as part of the initial bid for Barry. It was some combination of cash + Carson/Crouch/Pennant and maybe Riise too.

Tusky

NekkidBibleMan wrote: »

Tusky: I don't know if that star regarding Villa's scoring over the last 5 years is correct, though it sounds like it could be. Looking behind that stat though, how many strikers have played consistently in La Liga over the last 5 years? The likes of Kanoute and Forlan only arrived relatively recently, others were playing reserve football, so I wouldnt draw too much from that stat.

If we include cup runs, he has scored over 20 in his last 3 seasons. Looking at league figures, he's only hit over 20 once - which isn't spectacular, considering he has been the focal point of what are, despite recent form, a very effective team. Isn't he Valencia's penalty taker, also?

This year he scored 18 league goals - 5 other players scored the same amount of more.

So no, he's not a bad player. However, I dont believe that there is a significant gulf in quality between him and, say, Kanoute or Milito. Despite this, he would likely command a fee greatly in excess of other strikers with comparable records.

But hey, as you say, this all probably academic. Rafa no doubt has other things on his mind...

This picture springs to mind.



Why is scoring 20 in the league so important ? Owen never scored 20 in the league for us. Only 3 people scored more than Villa in the league this season but you must remember, Valencia were almost relegated. I dont know how you can even question his goal scoring record. His career total is a goal in every two games!

Villa would probably be in my top 5 strikers in the world.

Torres
Drogba
Villa
Eto'o
Ruud

Honorable mentions going to Henry, Berbatov, & Rooney.