Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

Mental Mickey

MementoMori wrote: »

On Alonso I'm in the camp where I believe that Rafa's valaution of Alonso and what Real want to pay is still some distance apart. I think this iswhy there has been a lot of talk about players being involved in the deal as Real try to resolve this issue.

Real seem to think that because Alonso was available for around £18m last summer they should be able to get him for a similar amount.

I would expect Rafa is looking at an utter mimimum of £30m given his form this season and the fact that it's Real Madrid who have spent a truckload on other players this season and the state of the market this summer.

Personally I would be very disappointed if Alonso went for less than £30m and would be hoping for something in the region of £35m given the state of the market and the difficulty of replacing him. Also I'm be hoping that the price Rafa would be happy to accept will increase the closer we come to the start of the season.

Overall though I be delighted if we hung on to Alonso as I can't see any other result apart from the squad for this season being weakened if he leaves.
Given who potentiall replaces Alonso is unknown at this stage judging how much the squad would be weakened is impossible to know, but given the fact that it's less than 4 weeks to the start of the season I think there would have to be concerns, particullarly when you look at the current squad in terms of cover for an Alonso type playmaker.

Not sure when the squad is back from Asia but given the last game is against Singapore next Sunday I think we are look at this day week at a minimum. I'm still optimistic that Xabi stays though and am glad he is in Asia with the squad.

Liverpool and Rafa are both nuts if they let Xabi leave Liverpool. Absolutely fantastic player.

Mr Alan

I missed you.

Karmafaerie

Guileme Ballague from yesterday.

19/07/2009

Benitez meeting today could determine Alonso future


A number of Liverpool fans, tired of the endless speculation, have been in touch asking when we can finally draw a line under the Xabi Alonso saga...

I can tell you that we may not have to wait very long. Real Madrid will be eagerly anticipating the outcome of Xabi Alonso`s meeting with Rafa Benitez today: the first time that the Liverpool coach and midfielder have met in person since the end of last season. Alonso has spoken with Benitez on numerous occasions in recent weeks, but today presents the player with an opportunity to convince his manager, face to face, to allow him to fulfil his ambition of signing for Real Madrid.


The mood and outcome of these talks are pivotal: Real Madrid know their latest bid of €27 million falls short of Liverpool`s lowest valuation and, at this moment in time, the Spanish club are not prepared to increase their offer.

Contrary to recent reports, Real Madrid did not recently make a bid lower than any previous offer and there has been no contact between the two clubs since that €27 million proposal.

Dependent upon how talks go between the player and coach, Real Madrid will be holding out for a conciliatory gesture from Anfield in order to revive the deal. Meanwhile, Liverpool are holding out for an improved offer from Madrid – and there is a sense that the two parties are not as far apart as has been suggested, despite the fact there remains an €8 million difference between bid and valuation.


Xabi may be forced into publicly stating his desire to leave and clarify why he feels that after five years at the club, now is a reasonable time to move on - and the days following these talks are critical. All parties want the matter resolved as soon as possible: Benitez would like to finalise his preparations for next season and does not want to be presented with a late, urgent need to replace a key player in his squad; while Real Madrid must endeavour to offload several of their own players in order to secure revenue following a summer of free spending, not to mention feeing up space in an overloaded squad.

Dependant upon the outcome of these discussions between Benitez and Alonso, and a degree of compromise on the part of both clubs, we could be talking about the deal being on or off within the next 24 hours. Either way, I would be bold enough to suggest that all will be resolved, either way, within the next week.

Mental Mickey

Mr Alan wrote: »

I missed you.

Whatever....................it's my opinion. Which, last time I checked, I was entitled to.

5starpool

Mental Mickey wrote: »

Whatever....................it's my opinion. Which, last time I checked, I was entitled to.

Well done. Stick to your guns and don't let those lads bully you

Mr Alan

Mental Mickey wrote: »

Whatever....................it's my opinion. Which, last time I checked, I was entitled to.

wtf?! i said i missed you!?

Mental Mickey

Mr Alan wrote: »

wtf?! i said i missed you!?

I could tell you were being sarcastic.

jesus_thats_gre

Mental Mickey wrote: »

Liverpool and Rafa are both nuts if they let Xabi leave Liverpool. Absolutely fantastic player.

Yes, you are entitled to your opinion.

Can I ask you this though, is there anything that you have read that suggests that Liverpool and Rafa are doing anything other than their best to keep the player?

Liverpool and Rafa are being that stubborn in their valuation of Alonso (artificially high to ward off interest) that Alonso may actually be forced to hand in an official transfer request.

Mr Alan

Do you still think Rafa should be sacked Mickey?

And that we should get rid of Kuyt?

Mental Mickey

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

Yes, you are entitled to your opinion.

Can I ask you this though, is there anything that you have read that suggests that Liverpool and Rafa are doing anything other than their best to keep the player?

Liverpool and Rafa are being that stubborn in their valuation of Alonso (artificially high to ward off interest) that Alonso may actually be forced to hand in an official transfer request.

They're stupid if they let that happen, imo.

RAFA AND KUYT OUT.

They can share a taxi. They can bring Lucas in the boot too.

Mr Alan

lets be fair though Mickey, you think they're stupid anyway

Mental Mickey

Mr Alan wrote: »

Do you still think Rafa should be sacked Mickey?

And that we should get rid of Kuyt?

If he doesn't win the Premiership, yes. In relation to Kuyt, yes I do think we should at least loan him out.

Another player he needs to get rid of is Voronin........now there's a total waste of money!

Mental Mickey

Mr Alan wrote: »

lets be fair though Mickey, you think they're stupid anyway

No I don't.

Mr Alan

loan him out, one of the best players in the PL last season.

you're a legend

you went very quiet second half of the season when too defensive Liverpool had their best ever PL season didn't you?

Mental Mickey

Mr Alan wrote: »

loan him out, one of the best players in the PL last season.

you're a legend

you went very quiet second half of the season when too defensive Liverpool had their best ever PL season didn't you?

We haven't WON the thing. Which is what Rafa needs to do. Are you happy having our "best ever season" but finishing second?? I'm not.

whatawaster

Mental Mickey wrote: »

If he doesn't win the Premiership, yes. In relation to Kuyt, yes I do think we should at least loan him out.

Another player he needs to get rid of is Voronin........now there's a total waste of money!

Why on earth would we loan out the most effective right winger in the premier league last season?

Voronin is just a squad player, I’m quite indifferent as to whether he stays or goes.

Mental Mickey

whatawaster wrote: »

Why on earth would we loan out the most effective right winger in the premier league last season?

Voronin is just a squad player, I’m quite indifferent as to whether he stays or goes.

Voronin is useless........end of.

whatawaster

Mental Mickey wrote: »

We haven't WON the thing. Which is what Rafa needs to do. Are you happy having our "best ever season" but finishing second?? I'm not.

I’m happy to see the club progressing every year. I’m happy to see the club has some stability on the pitch, whatever’s happening off it.

Mr Alan

yea i was.

we haven't won it for nearly 2 decades & we can't compete financially with our rivals, we're doing great work in my opinion.

expecially when you consider we are sooooo defensive (highest goals scored last year) and we have people like Kuyt on our team & Rafa has only made one good buy. Torres (although, it seems now you also count Alonso as a good buy too)

Mental Mickey

Mr Alan wrote: »

yea i was.

we haven't won it for nearly 2 decades & we can't compete financially with our rivals, we're doing great work in my opinion.

expecially when you consider we are sooooo defensive (highest goals scored last year) and we have people like Kuyt on our team & Rafa has only made one good buy. Torres (although, it seems now you also count Alonso as a good buy too)

I always thought Alonso was a great signing.

whatawaster

Mental Mickey wrote: »

Voronin is useless........end of.

what was that about opinions you were barking on about?
I think he's average to be honest, and if we can't get a couple of million or more for him he's worth keeping.

Mental Mickey

whatawaster wrote: »

what was that about opinions you were barking on about?
I think he's average to be honest, and if we can't get a couple of million or more for him he's worth keeping.

Worth keeping Voronin?? No way..............he's terrible.

Karmafaerie

Mental Mickey wrote: »

Voronin is useless........end of.

Based on?

Mental Mickey

Karmafaerie wrote: »

Based on?

Games I've seen the guy play. He's terrible.

Karmafaerie

Mental Mickey wrote: »

Games I've seen the guy play. He's terrible.

How so?
Care to elaborate much?

Terrible as a third/fourth choice striker?

He scored I believe 5 goals in 13 games for us the season before last, and then 11 in 21 for Hertha last season.

He can play in 4 different positions, and he cost nothing in a transfer, and isn't on massive wages.

You know, just saying stuff doesn't make it so right?

Mr Alan

Mental Mickey wrote: »

I always thought Alonso was a great signing.

really?!

Mental Mickey wrote:

Benitez deserves the friggin SACK after that!!!! We were SEVEN POINTS AHEAD of Man U(re), and now we find ourselves 2 behind them!!?? Benitez is far too defensive minded. And, apart from Torres, Babel, and Skrtel, he has bought utter s***e to the club. I cannot see us winning the league under this manager......?

Time to go Rafa.

jesus_thats_gre

Time to close down this thread for a few hours me thinks.

Mental Mickey

Mr Alan wrote: »

really?!

Ok so I omitted to mention him there. But I do think he is a great signing.

Mental Mickey

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

Time to close down this thread for a few hours me thinks.

Why so? Some people on this thread seem to think this thread is a school exam?? I like to watch football, but I'm not obsessed with trawling through statistics to back up each and every post!!!

Mr Alan

really?

cause when his ommission was pointed out to you when you made that post, you then said he'd been underperforming for quite a while.

Mental Mickey

Mr Alan wrote: »

really?

cause when his ommission was pointed out to you when you made that post, you then said he'd been underperforming for quite a while.

Isn't every player allowed to have a dip in form??? He was underperforming for quite a while, yes. He's HUMAN for Christ's sake.

Karmafaerie

Mental Mickey wrote: »

Isn't every player allowed to have a dip in form??? He was underperforming for quite a while, yes. He's HUMAN for Christ's sake.

A year and a half is quiet a while.

Mental Mickey

Karmafaerie wrote: »

A year and a half is quiet a while.

As I said, he is HUMAN. Maybe he was having personal problems or whatever? Maybe all the speculation about his future unsettled him?

Malice

Fink Goddie wrote: »

They're deffo the only bunch of Liverpool supporters i know that would defend the likes of Lucas and Voronin anyway.

:eek: Imagine that, supporters of a club supporting that club's players!

Karmafaerie

Fink Goddie wrote: »

Tried to give my opinion last week and just got ganged up on like Mickey did there.
There's a group on this thread and they think whatever they say goes and thats it.

So what you're saying is that you came on and voiced your oppinion.
Others disagreed with you, so that means that they're "ganging up" on you.

You're perfectly entitled to your oppinion, and anyone else is perfectly entitled to say that they disagree with you.
If they then procedede to give evidence or reasons for their oppinion, you can't just accuse them of bullying and ganging up on you.
If there happens to be 10 people disagreeing with you, doesn't mean that they're ganging up, it means that your beliefs aren't widely held.

If you want to discuss the REASONS why you believe Lucas/Voronin/Kuyt/Babel/Rafa should go, then feel free.
Coming in and making over the top statements and then refusing to address reasoned responses, or following them with gems like "stats can prove anything" when people go out of their way to give you factual reason as to why they oppose your oppinion, is just childish.

(I'm not addressing this all to you by the way.;))

Karmafaerie

Fink Goddie wrote: »

Just because you're a supporter of the club doesnt mean you have to support all the players, especially the ones that are holding the club back.

When you look at the depth of the united squad and even the man city squad now, our bench is lacking big time.

We'll be ok if noone on the team gets injured for the season but thats not very realistic.

The dept of the UTD squad?!

So up front we have Torres/Gerrard/Kuyt/Babel/Ngog/Voronin.

They have Rooney/Berbatov/Owen/Macheda

In the middle we have Xabi/Masch/Gerrard/Lucas

They have Scholes/Giggs/Anderson/Carrick/Hargreaves

Your point?


And as for Citeh?
You do realise the difference between Liverpool, and a club with billions in the bank right?

whatawaster

Fink Goddie wrote: »

Tried to give my opinion last week and just got ganged up on like Mickey did there.
There's a group on this thread and they think whatever they say goes and thats it.

If someone comes on this thread and says something like "Lucas is the worst Brazilian ever", despite the fact that he has been capped by the national side, was first choice for their Olympic team and won the nations player of the year 2 years ago, then i am going to assume they are here to wind people up. It's going to annoy people and they are going to come back at you in numbers. That's not ganging up on you.

Fink Goddie

Karmafaerie wrote: »

So what you're saying is that you came on and voiced your oppinion.
Others disagreed with you, so that means that they're "ganging up" on you.

You're perfectly entitled to your oppinion, and anyone else is perfectly entitled to say that they disagree with you.
If they then procedede to give evidence or reasons for their oppinion, you can't just accuse them of bullying and ganging up on you.
If there happens to be 10 people disagreeing with you, doesn't mean that they're ganging up, it means that your beliefs aren't widely held.

If you want to discuss the REASONS why you believe Lucas/Voronin/Kuyt/Babel/Rafa should go, then feel free.
Coming in and making over the top statements and then refusing to address reasoned responses, or following them with gems like "stats can prove anything" when people go out of their way to give you factual reason as to why they oppose your oppinion, is just childish.

(I'm not addressing this all to you by the way.;))

Come on even the mod came on and gave them a warning about it. Eh going through all my old posts and putting them up and accusing me of all sorts is past discussion its trying to gang up on someone.
I dont care though, doesnt bother me. Bring it on!

Fink Goddie

Karmafaerie wrote: »

The dept of the UTD squad?!

So up front we have Torres/Gerrard/Kuyt/Babel/Ngog/Voronin.

They have Rooney/Berbatov/Owen/Macheda

In the middle we have Xabi/Masch/Gerrard/Lucas

They have Scholes/Giggs/Anderson/Carrick/Hargreaves

Your point?


And as for Citeh?
You do realise the difference between Liverpool, and a club with billions in the bank right?

But this is who we're up against now though, money in the bank or not, they have more depth than us now.

And Exactly, Babel Ngog Voronin, none of them have proved themselves, last season Man u had Rooney, Tevez, Berbatov, Macheda, Ronaldo
Man city have a rake of good strikers now too.

Boggles

Karmafaerie wrote: »

They have Scholes/Giggs/Anderson/Carrick/Hargreaves

Fletcher?

Karmafaerie

Fink Goddie wrote: »

Come on even the mod came on and gave them a warning about it. Eh going through all my old posts and putting them up and accusing me of all sorts is past discussion its trying to gang up on someone.
I dont care though, doesnt bother me. Bring it on!

Well, as I said, I wasn't here, so I didn't know that.
Let's just all leave it in the past anyway, and get back to the important business.

Talking crap about sh1te we know nothing about!:pac:


Personaly, I think if it was a case of Alonso/Arby/Dossena out, Aquilani/Negredo/and either Silva or Young in, along with Sneijder on loan, I'd be happy.

whatawaster

But this is who we're up against now though, money in the bank or not, they have more depth than us now.

And Exactly, Babel Ngog Voronin, none of them have proved themselves, last season Man u had Rooney, Tevez, Berbatov, Macheda, Ronaldo
Man city have a rake of good strikers now too.[/QUOTE]

I think City have a lot to do to prove they are up against Liverpool.

If you think Macheda has proven himself you're deluded. He's a raw, talented kid, who scored a fantastic goal and a fortuitous goal in 2 games.

stevoslice

Fink Goddie wrote: »

Come on even the mod came on and gave them a warning about it. Eh going through all my old posts and putting them up and accusing me of all sorts is past discussion its trying to gang up on someone.
I dont care though, doesnt bother me. Bring it on!

to be fair, i think the mod's comment was directed at EVERYONE, you and me included.

back on topic, isn't our squad stronger this year? didn't lose one 1st/2nd choice player (yet), utd down ronaldo and tevez, up 2 unproven players and a proven waster.

Fink Goddie

Karmafaerie wrote: »

Well, as I said, I wasn't here, so I didn't know that.
Let's just all leave it in the past anyway, and get back to the important business.

Talking crap about sh1te we know nothing about!:pac:


Personaly, I think if it was a case of Alonso/Arby/Dossena out, Aquilani/Negredo/and either Silva or Young in, along with Sneijder on loan, I'd be happy.

Well then you should have stayed out of it.

Lucas, Dossena, Voronin out. another good striker in, Young would be good and also to keep Alonso. Then i'd be happy.

stevoslice

Fink Goddie wrote: »

Well then you should have stayed out of it.

Lucas, Dossena, Voronin out. another good striker in, Young would be good and also to keep Alonso. Then i'd be happy.

would you really be happy to have plessis as CM cover for the coming year...

Fink Goddie

thebhoy wrote: »

to be fair, i think the mod's comment was directed at EVERYONE, you and me included.

back on topic, isn't our squad stronger this year? didn't lose one 1st/2nd choice player (yet), utd down ronaldo and tevez, up 2 unproven players and a proven waster.

Losing Tevez and Ronaldo and replacing them with Michael Owen is a big advantage to us this season yeh.
Hopefully we get another good striker

Karmafaerie

Boggles wrote: »

Fletcher?

Good point.
Really came on last season.

I could also put the likes of Plessis/Spearing/Aurelio in for Liverpool of course, and I'm sure there are other Utd reserve players who can play in the middle.

Simply showing that Utd's third/fourth choice players are similar to Liverpool's.

Fink Goddie

thebhoy wrote: »

would you really be happy to have plessis as CM cover for the coming year...

I'd prefer someone stronger yeh

Karmafaerie

Fink Goddie wrote: »

Well then you should have stayed out of it.

Lucas, Dossena, Voronin out. another good striker in, Young would be good and also to keep Alonso. Then i'd be happy.

I as talking about the boy crying wolf claims of ganging up and bullying in this thread that are sadly becoming a weekly occurance.

I infact said in the post that it wasn't directed at you.
Remember the part where I said.

Karmafaerie wrote:

(I'm not addressing this all to you by the way.)