Liverpool Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2014 - Mod Note in OP 28/8

Agent Coulson

We have a big squad now which players will be left out of the CL 25 man squad?

5starpool

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

Gotta love the oul turn-up-for-work bonus.

I get 100% of my pay if I turn up for work, 0% if I don't. Sadly not 40k per week though unless you convert to some far flung currency.

5live

Talisman wrote: »

Liverpool U18's v Derby County is on LFCTV tomorrow @ 11:30. Is that soon enough?

:-)

Love to watch it but at Community games for the weekend.

Thank Fowler the game is on monday though. Could have been tricky

Harry Palmr

Agent Coulson wrote: »

We have a big squad now which players will be left out of the CL 25 man squad?

from a different post earlier about age but it does the same job for the CL squad

18-24
Manquillo 20
Moreno 20
Flanagan 21
Sakho 24
Can 20
Coutinho 22
Allen 24
Hendo 24
Sterling 19
Marković 20
Sturridge 24
Balotelli 24 (Subject to passing Rodgers character exam)

25-30
Mignolet 26
Lovren 25
Enrique 28
Johnson 29
Škrtel 29
Agger 29
Lucas 27
Lallana 26

30+
Jones 30
Touré 33
Gerrard 34
Lambert 32

24 core players so add one Maybe from the U21s? Actually forget that if another keeper is signed that's 25.

5live

5starpool wrote: »

I get 100% of my pay if I turn up for work, 0% if I don't. Sadly not 40k per week though unless you convert to some far flung currency.

Euros?

djPSB

Agent Coulson wrote: »

We have a big squad now which players will be left out of the CL 25 man squad?

Match day squads will be tough to make when everyone's fit.

billymitchell

djPSB wrote: »

Match day squads will be tough to make when everyone's fit.

Great. Beats looking at match day squads with no options off the bench

5starpool

5live wrote: »

Euros?

I'll leave the currency to your imagination.

Talisman

Agent Coulson wrote: »

We have a big squad now which players will be left out of the CL 25 man squad?

Nobody! We only have 23 players (including Assaidi) that require registration. The players under 21 don't require registration : Sterling (19), Can (20), Suso (20), Markovic (20), Manquillo (20), Robinson (20), Ibe (18). Next season we may have that headache to worry about.

Kerrigooney

That reminds me...think I'm due some tax back.

Blondie919

Pellegrini reckons we bottled it last seaon.

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/english-soccer/pellegrini-claims-liverpool-couldn-t-handle-the-pressure-in-title-run-in-1.1905493

Hopefully this will rile us up enough to beat them on their turf on Monday.

Vicxas

Blondie919 wrote: »

Pellegrini reckons we bottled it last seaon.

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/english-soccer/pellegrini-claims-liverpool-couldn-t-handle-the-pressure-in-title-run-in-1.1905493

Hopefully this will rile us up enough to beat them on their turf on Monday.

Hoping for a great result Monday.

Blondie919

Vicxas wrote: »

Hoping for a great result Monday.

A hat-trick from Mario would do it for me!

Kerrigooney

Blondie919 wrote: »

Pellegrini reckons we bottled it last seaon.

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/english-soccer/pellegrini-claims-liverpool-couldn-t-handle-the-pressure-in-title-run-in-1.1905493

Hopefully this will rile us up enough to beat them on their turf on Monday.

I don't agree with him here but I like Pellegrini. Very classy manager. Staying out to shake hands with all the Liverpool players after losing at Anfield showed that. A gentleman I think. Rare in management these days.

Kerrigooney

Blondie919 wrote: »

A hat-trick from Mario would do it for me!

Mario won't be playing. Won't be registered in time.

NapoleonInRags

Hopefully the Mario deal goes through without a hitch but I really don't like the way this 'character interview' with Rodgers is being portrayed.

Say he does sign and therefore has 'passed' the Rodgers test, but goes on to act the muppet anyway. Failed transfer, undermined manager and the club is a laughing stock - again. This season should be all about consolidation not humiliation.

Blondie919

Kerrigooney wrote: »

I don't agree with him here but I like Pellegrini. Very classy manager. Staying out to shake hands with all the Liverpool players after losing at Anfield showed that. A gentleman I think. Rare in management these days.

I like him too, he's one of the few managers in the Premier League that has any class. But it does kind of shock me that he has decided to play mind games. He hasn't done so in the past, or has he? He may actually be right with about last season but just seems odd that he would say something to rile us up. Because that's what will happen, won't it?

~Rebel~

I really don't buy this character interview thing, sounds like nonsense.

Do all the negotiations with Milan, agree personal terms with the player, have the player fly over for a medical, and then leave a simple chat to the end which can veto the whole thing?

If this was ever a possible thing, it would have logically been the first step so everyone else involved didn't completely waste their time.

BenEadir

NapoleonInRags wrote: »

This season should be all about consolidation not humiliation.

Napoleon, given your name you should already know this, in surprised with you.

Fortune favours the brave!

We can't out spend Chelsea, City or United so we have to out smart them and that involves taking calculated risks. Mario is a calculated risk similar to when Cantona was bought by old red nose. Loss of people condemned the move saying it was a mistake but in fairness to him old red nose ignored the critics and trusted his judgement. Now it's our turn to trust BR's judgement.

The real Napoleon would never settle for the mediocrity of consolidation.

Ben

mada999

Vinz Mesrine wrote: »

I was, I still am and I have no problem admitting so. I don't think his attitude is right for the club but as I stated yesterday, I always say to get behind what the manager is doing and I'll be no different this time around. When the original link was posted, the price being quoted was €30m, that is crazy money for such a high risk.

totally agree at £30m i'd be really apprehensive, but at €16m it's not really a game is it ? come on Ballo boy!!!

5starpool

Blondie919 wrote: »

Pellegrini reckons we bottled it last seaon.

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/english-soccer/pellegrini-claims-liverpool-couldn-t-handle-the-pressure-in-title-run-in-1.1905493

Hopefully this will rile us up enough to beat them on their turf on Monday.

I'd love to know how City got 17 points from the last 18 available.

But after Liverpool lost and drew one of their remaining games and City dropped only one point from the last available 18, Pellegrini’s team were crowned champions.

Blondie919

NapoleonInRags wrote: »

Hopefully the Mario deal goes through without a hitch but I really don't like the way this 'character interview' with Rodgers is being portrayed.

Say he does sign and therefore has 'passed' the Rodgers test, but goes on to act the muppet anyway. Failed transfer, undermined manager and the club is a laughing stock - again. This season should be all about consolidation not humiliation.

If he acts the muppet then he gets dropped from the team. It's not exactly going to be a failed transfer. We got him for a great price. If he doesn't work out we sell him. I don't think it will undermine Rodgers too much. And if he does act the muppet what's he going to do that's worse than biting an opponent?

googled eyes

Pellegrini I used to like you.

Talisman

~Rebel~ wrote: »

I really don't buy this character interview thing, sounds like nonsense.

Do all the negotiations with Milan, agree personal terms with the player, have the player fly over for a medical, and then leave a simple chat to the end which can veto the whole thing?

If this was ever a possible thing, it would have logically been the first step so everyone else involved didn't completely waste their time.

Rodgers stressed in the press conference that the individual has to be prepared to develop as a player and a person. He has final say on all transfers, he has put a structure in place and he's not going to let one individual come in and act the maggot.

I don't think the Guardian were making the story up as NESN had that part of the story the day before.

mada999

NukaCola wrote: »

Not bothered with Eto'o at all. Could take or leave him, but a decent option all the same.

i wasnt really arséd signing him, but sure if we getting Ballotelli, sure why not take him as backup, deffo!!

~Rebel~

Talisman wrote: »

Rodgers stressed in the press conference that the individual has to be prepared to develop as a player and a person. He has final say on all transfers, he has put a structure in place and he's not going to let one individual come in and act the maggot.

I don't think the Guardian were making the story up as NESN had that part of the story the day before.

It's a pretty generic, logical thing for him to say though, and id imagine is the same for every professional club in the world. I imagine it's 100% normal for the manager to have a chat with the player and talk about his proposed role at the club. We regularly hear about these conversations having taken place.

What i'm saying is that its nonsensical for it to be the very final stage. I would hazard a guess that if there were a discussion that needed to take place with the player, upon which the entire signing depended, that it has already taken place.

As for the NESN part, well, they've hardly been proven to be accurate in their liverpool related stories in the past...they announced Dempsey as a done deal after all. Just because they're owned by FSG doesn't really mean that they have a direct line into the goings on at a club several thousand miles away.

mada999

Vinz Mesrine wrote: »

In my time here I have seen Lloyd be wrong a helluva lot more than he has been right but time after time he wheels out that high horse and climbs aboard.

can you back these stats up??

mada999

Harry Palmr wrote: »

from a different post earlier about age but it does the same job for the CL squad

18-24
Manquillo 20
Moreno 20
Flanagan 21
Sakho 24
Can 20
Coutinho 22
Allen 24
Hendo 24
Sterling 19
Marković 20
Sturridge 24
Balotelli 24 (Subject to passing Rodgers character exam)

25-30
Mignolet 26
Lovren 25
Enrique 28
Johnson 29
Škrtel 29
Agger 29
Lucas 27
Lallana 26

30+
Jones 30
Touré 33
Gerrard 34
Lambert 32

24 core players so add one Maybe from the U21s? Actually forget that if another keeper is signed that's 25.

fooking hell we are mobilizing!! transformerz stuff are assemBLING!

yup had a few tins etc stc, rin tin tin

Talisman

Blondie919 wrote: »

Pellegrini reckons we bottled it last seaon.

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/english-soccer/pellegrini-claims-liverpool-couldn-t-handle-the-pressure-in-title-run-in-1.1905493

Hopefully this will rile us up enough to beat them on their turf on Monday.

I'd agree with him. In the game after losing to Chelsea, we were 3-0 up against Crystal Palace with just over 10 minutes remaining. We had to win that game to keep the pressure on Man City.

We threw away the game and the result meant that Man City were under little/no pressure for their final two home games against Aston Villa and West Ham. At that stage, they were only a point behind with a game in hand and a superior goal difference - it meant they only needed a win and a draw to secure the title.

There's no doubting the fact that the absence of Henderson affected the performances, but the team did collapse against Crystal Palace with 10 minutes of the game remaining.

mada999

NapoleonInRags wrote: »

Hopefully the Mario deal goes through without a hitch but I really don't like the way this 'character interview' with Rodgers is being portrayed.

Say he does sign and therefore has 'passed' the Rodgers test, but goes on to act the muppet anyway. Failed transfer, undermined manager and the club is a laughing stock - again. This season should be all about consolidation not humiliation.

it's all media búll**** to be honest, is there really a behavior clause in his contract? wouldnt say so, club contuct and thats it!... the meeja like to run with stuff to sell papers.... Ballotelli at this stage like most players ala Rooney, Suarez et al are immune to this... it's just peeps that buy the sun and the sunday world (and all their gangland exclusives) that actually take this shít in imo

segadreamcast

Talisman wrote: »

I'd agree with him. In the game after losing to Chelsea, we were 3-0 up against Crystal Palace with just over 10 minutes remaining. We had to win that game to keep the pressure on Man City.

We threw away the game and the result meant that Man City were under little/no pressure for their final two home games against Aston Villa and West Ham. At that stage, they were only a point behind with a game in hand and a superior goal difference - it meant they only needed a win and a draw to secure the title.

There's no doubting the fact that the absence of Henderson affected the performances, but the team did collapse against Crystal Palace with 10 minutes of the game remaining.

Not to get stuck on this but f*ck the Palace game, it's irrelevant. The season ended with the Chelsea game. It was 100% in our hands and we weren't set out correctly. Everybody knew Chelsea would play v v conservatively, and try to catch us on the break. We could've won the league with a draw. Yet we played the exact same as usual- which was thrilling but, at that stage, a draw and two 1-0 wins thereafter would've given us the league.

It's the only time Rodgers tactics have failed us in a big way, and I'm forever amazed more fans don't point to it or even ponder it out loud. But anyway....yeah...Palace....

Charlie19

Vinz Mesrine wrote: »

In my time here I have seen Lloyd be wrong a helluva lot more than he has been right but time after time he wheels out that high horse and climbs aboard.

mada999 wrote: »

can you back these stats up??

You actually thanked that above post by Vinz and then you go string. I don't stand under.

Talisman

segadreamcast wrote: »

Not to get stuck on this but f*ck the Palace game, it's irrelevant. The season ended with the Chelsea game. It was 100% in our hands and we weren't set out correctly. Everybody knew Chelsea would play v v conservatively, and try to catch us on the break. We could've won the league with a draw. Yet we played the exact same as usual- which was thrilling but, at that stage, a draw and two 1-0 wins thereafter would've given us the league.

It's the only time Rodgers tactics have failed us in a big way, and I'm forever amazed more fans don't point to it or even ponder it out loud. But anyway....yeah...Palace....

For the record I agree with you - the tactics against Chelsea were completely wrong, the team should have been setup to not lose that game.

Obviously losing to Chelsea meant we were no longer in control of the title race, but Man City still had to win their three remaining games for their superior goal difference to count.

The Palace game isn't irrelevant because the team totally collapsed there with 10 minutes remaining. As I stated previously, the result meant Man City didn't have the pressure on them for their remaining games.

Talisman

~Rebel~ wrote: »

It's a pretty generic, logical thing for him to say though, and id imagine is the same for every professional club in the world. I imagine it's 100% normal for the manager to have a chat with the player and talk about his proposed role at the club. We regularly hear about these conversations having taken place.

What i'm saying is that its nonsensical for it to be the very final stage. I would hazard a guess that if there were a discussion that needed to take place with the player, upon which the entire signing depended, that it has already taken place.

I don't think an approach for Balotelli was considered before last weekend, none of the usual homework on the player was done because the club just got rid of a mental case and weren't in a rush to sign another one. How long ago did Rodgers categorically deny interest in Balotelli? This is not a normal transfer for Rodgers/Liverpool - it's a calculated risk and the club have moved very quickly to get the deal in place because there was at least one other club interested. I think that given how quickly it has happened Rodgers hadn't spoken to Balotelli like he would have under normal circumstances.

On Mon/Tue, Ian Ayre was in Amsterdam and met the agent. On Wednesday there was a story originating in Italy about a loan offer, the English press picked up the story and included information about behaviour clauses. While we were consuming that information on Thursday the news became a full transfer had been agreed and on Friday evening Balotelli landed in Liverpool.

Kirby

googled eyes wrote: »

Pellegrini I used to like you.

You're using that meme wrong. :mad:

segadreamcast

segadreamcast wrote: »

Not to get stuck on this but f*ck the Palace game, it's irrelevant. The season ended with the Chelsea game. It was 100% in our hands and we weren't set out correctly. Everybody knew Chelsea would play v v conservatively, and try to catch us on the break. We could've won the league with a draw. Yet we played the exact same as usual- which was thrilling but, at that stage, a draw and two 1-0 wins thereafter would've given us the league.

It's the only time Rodgers tactics have failed us in a big way, and I'm forever amazed more fans don't point to it or even ponder it out loud. But anyway....yeah...Palace....

I've often thought about this, I don't think the team functions in a manner that it could be set up play for a draw.... They nearly got away with playing the same as usual to be fair

Pulsating Star

segadreamcast wrote: »

It's the only time Rodgers tactics have failed us in a big way, and I'm forever amazed more fans don't point to it or even ponder it out loud. But anyway....yeah...Palace....

Talisman wrote: »

For the record I agree with you - the tactics against Chelsea were completely wrong, the team should have been setup to not lose that game.

+1
I think the fact that BR or the team had not been in this situation before was the issue in the end. The setup and mentality for the Chelsea game wasn't pragmatic enough. In this I believe they were in a strange way constricted by the run of victories as in that brought its own pressure to extend and not change from what was working.
I don't necessarily see Pellegrini as having said they bottled it, the paper took it that way for the headline. Believing the team would fall short is how he had to proceed . When I was walking down the road after the Chelsea game I was gutted, disappointed but not particularly surprised. I don't think they bottled it just were not up to it in the first place experience wise, well at least not bottled it like Keegans Newcastle.
I like how both managers carry themselves and refrain from constantly commenting on others. Maintaining that level of dignity with the end of seanon pressure is an admirable quality as Wenger has demonstrated for so long.
BR has me rather conflicted, I think he is very clever, huge into self promotion, building himself into the fabric of the clubs image for the long haul. His rhetoric makes me rather queasy at times but I wouldn't swap him for anyone as I think he is clever enough to gain the experience to deal with the pressures each new level brings.
It takes some courage to set out the mission as he has.
( sorry for the ramble, that's just me, won't happen often though)

Utopia Parkway

Blondie919 wrote: »

Pellegrini reckons we bottled it last seaon.

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/english-soccer/pellegrini-claims-liverpool-couldn-t-handle-the-pressure-in-title-run-in-1.1905493

Hopefully this will rile us up enough to beat them on their turf on Monday.

Pellegrini seems like a nice man but Liverpool gave him two of his toughest games all last season. Might as well chance his arm.

Smithwicks Man

Jaysus lads, different price being banded about every time I check in here. Soon enough we'll be paying yous to take him:pac:

As always bonuses seem to be disregarded when it suits. It'd be my understanding that the transfer will be either €20m + small bonuses or €16m + bigger bonuses and that Balotelli's wage, including bonuses, will be slightly higher than what he was on at Milan.

Don't be mistaken, Milan will almost surely be recouping what they paid for him (around €21m-€22m overall) and, while he did take a small pay cut to join Milan, Balotelli will not be taking a 50% wage cut to leave Milan and join Liverpool.

The Mig

Ian Ayre deserves a new Harley

NapoleonInRags

I've had that Falco 'Amadeus' song in my head for the last week, thanks to this thread and the Falcao rumours.

So how about this to the same tune:

Balo-telli, Balo-telli
Uh-oh oh, Balo-telli, Balo-telli,
Uh-oh oh, Balo-telli

Simple, but would really catch on - a la Depeche Mode and Suarez.

LuckyLloyd

So Alex Song? If this Balotelli thing is happening let's press on and supplement the midfield options.

8-10

NapoleonInRags wrote: »

I've had that Falco 'Amadeus' song in my head for the last week, thanks to this thread and the Falcao rumours.

So how about this to the same tune:

Balo-telli, Balo-telli
Uh-oh oh, Balo-telli, Balo-telli,
Uh-oh oh, Balo-telli

Simple, but would really catch on - a la Depeche Mode and Suarez.

I actually like this a lot, it works scarily well!

Iused2likebusts

segadreamcast wrote: »

Not to get stuck on this but f*ck the Palace game, it's irrelevant. The season ended with the Chelsea game. It was 100% in our hands and we weren't set out correctly. Everybody knew Chelsea would play v v conservatively, and try to catch us on the break. We could've won the league with a draw. Yet we played the exact same as usual- which was thrilling but, at that stage, a draw and two 1-0 wins thereafter would've given us the league.

It's the only time Rodgers tactics have failed us in a big way, and I'm forever amazed more fans don't point to it or even ponder it out loud. But anyway....yeah...Palace....

This is all hindsight if rodgers had went all defensive against chelsea and we lost. Everybody would say why change a winning formula something that had us on an unbelievable run. Rodgers is a positive manager which instills confidence in the players if he totally changed tack before that chelsea game the players would have become even more aware of how much was at stake. Rodgers was playing to our strengths and rightly so it would have been foolish to play to our weaknesses. The palace game Id have more of an issue with we were 3 0 up and it was game over people got very giddy actually believing we could catch city on GD which was foolish.

redzerdrog

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

So Alex Song? If this Balotelli thing is happening let's press on and supplement the midfield options.

Yes please and a keeper then we done

smcgiff

8-10 wrote: »

I actually like this a lot, it works scarily well!

Uh-oh and Balotelli in the same sentence!

barney 20v

Bbc official reporting the Eto is on his way in on a 1 yr deal!
http://m.bbc.com/sport/football/gossip

mosstin

barney 20v wrote: »

Bbc official reporting the Eto is on his way in on a 1 yr deal!
http://m.bbc.com/sport/football/gossip

Eh, no they're not. That's the gossip column - an aggregate of the news stories even Twitter would consider far fetched.

joe123

barney 20v wrote: »

Bbc official reporting the Eto is on his way in on a 1 yr deal!
http://m.bbc.com/sport/football/gossip

Gossip Column.

Vinz Mesrine

barney 20v wrote: »

Bbc official reporting the Eto is on his way in on a 1 yr deal!
http://m.bbc.com/sport/football/gossip

They've taken it from the Daily Mail.

I'd imagine if he had already had a medical then we would have seen some form of picture.