Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread [mod warning #11145, #32140 (see OP)]

Eire-Dearg

deadhead13 wrote: »

The Mirror did a profile of him.

http:www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2009/07/22/alberto-aquilani-profile-10-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-liverpool-target-115875-21539418/

That article is terribly formatted, impossible to read.

DrumSteve

deadhead13 wrote: »

The Mirror did a profile of him.

http:www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2009/07/22/alberto-aquilani-profile-10-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-liverpool-target-115875-21539418/

his missus is fairly tasty all the same.

semms like he could do quite well in the alonso role except maybe a little further forward.

jesus_thats_gre

deadhead13 wrote: »

The Mirror did a profile of him.

http:www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2009/07/22/alberto-aquilani-profile-10-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-liverpool-target-115875-21539418/

I can convince myself of anything when it comes to Liverpool but if Alonso does move on for 30-35 million and we sign Aquilani for 15-20 million, I would be a happy chap.

Saying that, I will be very surprised if Roma didn't demand top dollar for him.

Eire-Dearg

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

Saying that, I will be very surprised if Roma didn't demand top dollar for him.

Yeah - probably. Worst thing about clubs knowing we have X amount of money to spend.

deadhead13

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

I will be very surprised if Roma didn't demand top dollar for him.

Roma is in a bit of financial bother, Spalletti has admitted that he has to sell players. That, and the fact that Aquilani hardly played last season should keep the price down to a reasonable level.

missingtime

A new thread eh?!? I dont like it.

Malice

deadhead13 wrote: »

Aquilani hardly played last season

Do you know why he didn't play last season? Was he injured?

jesus_thats_gre

Seems to be quite susceptible to the odd injury alright. Would be my only concern if I am honest.

deadhead13

malice_ wrote: »

Do you know why he didn't play last season? Was he injured?

Yes, I think it was an ankle injury. He's still not fit and only played 20 games last season.

Pyjamarama

Eire-Dearg wrote: »

Was his game against us the best individual performance ever from an opposing player at Anfield?

He was actually pretty crap performancewise for that match. He touched the ball four times and scored four goals. I've seen better all round performances but credit where it's due any day you score four goals is a good day.

Morzadec

Pyjamarama wrote: »

He was actually pretty crap performancewise for that match. He touched the ball four times and scored four goals. I've seen better all round performances but credit where it's due any day you score four goals is a good day.

Ah C'mon its hardly like his goals were tap ins! Arsenals midfield was overrun that day. We pretty much dominated for 90 minutes so its hardly like Arsenals front players saw much of the ball, and he still came away with 4 goals, a couple of them phenomenal efforts. Can't understate how good he was that day, amazing performance

Malice

deadhead13 wrote: »

Yes, I think it was an ankle injury. He's still not fit and only played 20 games last season.

Well then hopefully the Liverpool medical staff do an extensive medical on him (assuming of course things go that far).

daithijjj

Morzadec wrote: »

Ah C'mon its hardly like his goals were tap ins! Arsenals midfield was overrun that day. We pretty much dominated for 90 minutes so its hardly like Arsenals front players saw much of the ball, and he still came away with 4 goals, a couple of them phenomenal efforts. Can't understate how good he was that day, amazing performance

One of his goals was a complete gift, headed down to him on the penalty spot and nobody near him if i recall correctly, another was a great finish but he had nobody within 30 yards of him. Still, he had one of those nights where he could do no wrong, great game for him. Personally, id say, peter ndluvu (spelling) for coventry had a better all round game against us many moons ago. Ran us ragged and made us look like amateurs tbh. Deffo scored 3 that night, possibly 4, long time ago now, can just about remember it.

mike65

mike65 wrote: »

Just a heads up for those with Sky/FTA etc, you can wind down/or wind up on 3 hours of the 08/09 season with Rafa from 7.30 this evening on channel 434. With so many goaltastic games and frankly feck all else on the box its must see tv.

Tis like Pravda! Robbie Keane almost airbushed from the season, only the odd glimpse, no catalogue of horrid misses and no questions to Rafa about the sale mid season.

HashSlinging

Out with the old and in with the new (thread) roll on the prem.

Anyone think the alonso deal is going to fall through. Maybe its alonso getting his own back on Raffa for last year..

I think with real coming back and offering less money than before has truly ended this saga.

yay!

Dublin_Gunner

Ah, was wondering why I wasn't getting e-mail updates!! New thread, yeah!

Can we have rules that state:

1. No more talk of Robbie Keane transfer saga.
2. No more talk of Johnson's fee (and how much we were owed etc)
3. No more Boggles (j/k lol)

Charlie

Any of you lads heard anything re DIC buying out Mike Ashley?

5starpool

I've heard nought about it. I did hear on ssn that one of the Sunday papers is reporting that a South African diamond billionaire is interested in Newcastle though.

Charlie

5starpool wrote: »

I've heard nought about it. I did hear on ssn that one of the Sunday papers is reporting that a South African diamond billionaire is interested in Newcastle though.

THE SA thing seem like one of the many rag stories that have been written about us this summer, but there are serious rumours going around the Toon forums tonight that a sale has gone through, with DIC the supposed buyers.

Just thought i'd pop in with you lads as it was DIC related, won't derail your thread any further.

kinaldo

Charlie wrote: »

THE SA thing seem like one of the many rag stories that have been written about us this summer, but there are serious rumours going around the Toon forums tonight that a sale has gone through, with DIC the supposed buyers.

Just thought i'd pop in with you lads as it was DIC related, won't derail your thread any further.

hmmmm....

stevoslice

kinaldo wrote: »

hmmmm....

Yes, it makes perfect sense. Jews can't be pirates.

PHB

Apologies as I've been away, but whats the story with Alonso and Mascherano?

mike65

We can cope!

Masch staying (whether he likes it or not) Alonso going, probably by midweek I reckon.

Dub13

We will ot sign Villa Rafa said so in an interview a couple of weeks ago,he has said loads of times that he will not be playing outside Spain plus his wife is up the duff so I cant see him moving now.

Also why brake up the Torres/Gerrard partnership...?

SlickRic

PHB wrote: »

Apologies as I've been away, but whats the story with Alonso and Mascherano?

masch looks like he's staying for at least another year; seen as barca have finished their spending, plus they've been priced out of a move for him.

alonso looks for all the world like he's going. but it could drag on. the echo ran a piece saying he handed in a written transfer request. madrid then proceeded to bid €24m, €3m less than their previous offer. we're holding out for €30m.

whether madrid meet the valuation is anyone's guess.

alonso, being the professional that he is, has trained with the squad this week too. so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that alonso stays. wishful thinking i know.

Kirby

If they don't offer 30 million or more, he's going nowhere. Its clear that he wants to go. Its been clear for ages. But Liverpool need him as they don't have a suitable replacement and Benitez knows that. I would be very surprised if a bid under 30 was accepted.

If he does go, I still think Pirlo would be a good temporary replacement for the season. Obviously not long term, but it would give the midfield a bit of spark that it needs without alonso.

jesus_thats_gre

Dub13 wrote: »

We will ot sign Villa Rafa said so in an interview a couple of weeks ago,he has said loads of times that he will not be playing outside Spain plus his wife is up the duff so I cant see him moving now.

Also why brake up the Torres/Gerrard partnership...?

I don't pay much attention to Football 365 but this comment sums it up nicely I think:

"The most ludicrous part of the S*n story is that they claim Rafa's planning to drop Gerrard back into central midfield. After 3 years of stick from every direction because of his belief that Gerrard at CM isn't the right way to go, he's finally been vindicated over the last 2 seasons. Now the most stubborn man in football is going to go back on that, change his effective system and break up his world-class attack partnership to go buy a guy he's already said he isn't going to buy and who has already stated he's not leaving his club. Really, the only reason the S*n publish articles is to act as a buffer around pictures of Jordan's tits."

The Rooster

Kirby wrote: »

If they don't offer 30 million or more, he's going nowhere. Its clear that he wants to go. Its been clear for ages. But Liverpool need him as they don't have a suitable replacement and Benitez knows that. I would be very surprised if a bid under 30 was accepted.

If its true that Alonso has handed in a transfer request, then he foregoes his 10% loyalty bonus, thus Liverpool would accept £27m, which brings us a lot closer to Madrid's valuation of £24m. I'd say both will settle for somewhere in the middle.

Glico Man

Personally I can't see us going for Villa as we would not only be priced out of a move but also because when (not if) Alonso goes, the forward position is not the one we need to fill.

When Alonso goes he leaves a massive, but fillable gap in the side. Changing our successful 4-2-3-1 system would be a no-no so a replacement is crucial.

Aquilani has been touted quite frequently. He has the quality but, like most foreign players, he would need time to adjust to the pace. This would be where Lucas becomes a vitally important player.

While whoever comes in is adjusting to the differing demands Premier League, Lucas can be the one to fill the void.

He will come on leaps and bounds this season.

Watch this space....

Malice

I'm still pretty confident that Alonso and Mascherano will be Liverpool players for the coming season at least. With that said, I do hope that Lucas steps up and delivers this season, if only to stick it to the many so-called Liverpool supporters who have written him off.

jesus_thats_gre

Robbed this from the City thread:

Arrogance Comes In Different Ways
By golly, Manchester City have managed to get up Alex Ferguson's nose, haven't they?

They should be flattered, given that the level of Fergie's annoyance is a fairly reliable barometer of the threat they pose to United.

Talking about the (pretty funny) poster put up around Manchester by City (this one, if you have been asleep for a week), Ferguson said on Sunday:

"It's City isn't it? They are a small club with a small mentality.

"All they can talk about is Manchester United; they can't get away from it. They think taking Carlos Tevez away from Manchester United is a triumph. It is poor stuff."

Oooooooh Fergie - you bitch.

However, this rang a bell in Mediawatch's mind. We're sure Fergie has strong views on dismissing the local rivals of a 'big' club, and we're pretty sure he disapproves.

Just before his pathetic criticism of Rafa Benitez's 'gesture' against Blackburn last season, Ferguson said: "Everton are a big club, not a small one which Benitez arrogantly said."

In fact, if Fergie had actually read the 'quotes' to which he was referring, he'll know that Rafa didn't directly dismiss Everton in the way he belittled City.

Benitez said after a 0-0 Merseyside derby in 2007: "When you play against the smaller teams at Anfield you know the game will be narrow."

Not quite the same, is it?

So if Benitez is arrogant for saying Everton are smaller than Liverpool (something that all but the most one-eyed Toffee will agree with), what does that make Ferguson?

Still, at least Ferguson was right in one part of his rant against City. He said: "Arrogance comes in lots of different ways. I think it is daft."

Indeed it does Sir. And so do we.

The Rooster

Dunno where the idea is coming from that Lucas has improved on last season. Shown nothing in pre-season to indicate it.

Although hopefully one more year experience will bring him on. He's a neat and tidy passer, who usually knows that his best bet is to give a simple ball to someone who might do some damage. He's a very good in the air, and I'd expect him to get a few goals that way this season. When he shoots from outside the box the corner flag is in as much danger of getting hit as the net, hopefully a season more will stop him bottling it when he gets those opportunties. Also diving in when there's no need to and giving away stupid fouls is something he'll hopefully do less of.

He'll never ever be as good as Alonso or Mascho, but should be able to be as useful for us as say fletcher is for the mancs.

mayordenis

The Rooster wrote: »

He'll never ever be as good as Alonso or Mascho, but should be able to be as useful for us as say fletcher is for the mancs.

not even similar in the slightest.

jesus_thats_gre

mayordenis wrote: »

not even similar in the slightest.

Yup, he is a completely different type of player..

Pyjamarama

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

Yup, he is a completely different type of player..

I'd imagine he just means that he can come in and do a job and even act as starter for a few games but wouldn't want him in there too often... One thing i would say that's wrong with that pov is that Fletcher is good against the good teams while Lucas would be better suited to playing against the weaker ones imo.

missingtime

Gossip columns linking Aguero with Utd. I'll cry like a baby if he goes to them. Like a baby.

Pyjamarama

I dunno. Aguero is a superb little player but i reckon he's not what United need. They are ok upfront, it's in midfield where they're weak with Hargreaves injured forever and Scholes surely on his last legs... Rooney, Berbatov and Owen are good enough imo. Also (controversially) not sure Aguero would be that amazing in the prem.

Anyway pretty sure it's a non story anyway.

spockety

missingtime wrote: »

Gossip columns linking Aguero with Utd. I'll cry like a baby if he goes to them. Like a baby.

We have Torres. No other teams striking acquisitions make me cry.

jesus_thats_gre

spockety wrote: »

We have Torres. No other teams striking acquisitions make me cry.

I really hate these sort of posts.

mike65

I dont cry.

spockety

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

I really hate these sort of posts.

Why?

I honestly believe we have the best striker in the world.

I also believe we have the best striking partnership in the world.

If we bought Aguero, the only place for him would be the bench, as he would not displace Gerrard or Torres for me.

There is no striker in the world who any of our rivals could buy that would upset me enough to cry over it.

I think it is our rivals who cry regularly when they think about the strike partnership we have at our disposal.

Sorry if you hate that.

jesus_thats_gre

I obviously don't hate that..

spockety

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

I obviously don't hate that..

Ah. Well I will try to put my points across in a more high brow manner in future

mayordenis

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

I obviously don't hate that..

you are enjoying the use of ".." today..

jesus_thats_gre

I always use it bad habit..

Slow day on this thread

Karmafaerie

Pyjamarama wrote: »

I'd imagine he just means that he can come in and do a job and even act as starter for a few games but wouldn't want him in there too often... One thing i would say that's wrong with that pov is that Fletcher is good against the good teams while Lucas would be better suited to playing against the weaker ones imo.

Lucas' two best performances for us were against Utd and Chelsea.

tok9

Pyjamarama wrote: »

while Lucas would be better suited to playing against the weaker ones imo.

tbh i think it's the opposite... that said i think hes a good player to have with us and i honestly believe hes going to be an excellent player in 4 or 5 years time. I hope we hold on to him

~Rebel~

Hey folks.

So, new thread eh?

Been off for the past week, seems like its largely been Arbeloa gone, Alonso definitely going, then maybe not again, Aquilini looking like most likely replacement.

Anything else i miss?

Morzadec

~Rebel~ wrote: »

Hey folks.

So, new thread eh?

Been off for the past week, seems like its largely been Arbeloa gone, Alonso definitely going, then maybe not again, Aquilini looking like most likely replacement.

Anything else i miss?

Rafa bleached his goatee

5starpool

I see Agger didn't travel to Spain for todays match. With Skrtl out, I really hope that it is only a precaution that he is left behind for. I guess it will give Kelly or San Jose a chance in the next game or so anyways, but it makes me a bit nervous if one of those might be required to start the season in place.