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

Agent Coulson

I'd have no problem with Toure staying at the club wth his experience and maybe he could be made captain of the League Cup team of younger players.

Let him pass his experience on in training and League Cup games and FA Cup games.

He really should only be 4/5th choice CB for the PL & CL.

redzerdrog

rarnes1 wrote: »

I'd like to see Coates get a chance over Toure tbh as I think the latter is finished and a complete liability.

snap

redzerdrog

redzerdrog wrote: »

snap

Rhythm is a dancer

Francie Barrett

Yan Dhanda showboating while on U17 duty. Yes, he is our player.

https://vine.co/v/ME2wqxAKXn2

Kerrigooney

What time is the game today lads?

redzerdrog

Kerrigooney wrote: »

What time is the game today lads?

I think it at 23:30

Kerrigooney

redzerdrog wrote: »

I think it at 23:30

Thanks.

If we win that and I imagine we will cos Milan have been awful so far do we have to play Man Utd in the final? That'll be fun.

joe123

murpho999 wrote: »

Really don't think he or any player should be judged in pre season. It's all about fitness and experimenting.

He also has to adapt to new players, management, tactics and style etc.

Wait till season starts properly before assessing players.

Playing well in pre-season is no indication of greatness either I might add.

redzerdrog

Kerrigooney wrote: »

Thanks.

If we win that and I imagine we will cos Milan have been awful so far do we have to play Man Utd in the final? That'll be fun.

Yeh as far as I know

I dont think the internet can handle such a match so early in the season though

Will I Amnt

redzerdrog wrote: »

Yeh as far as I know

I dont think the internet can handle such a match so early in the season though

United still have to top their group. Don't know about you lads but I think it would be good for both teams. Possibly the only preseason fixture that you could actually gauge anything from as there'll be no quarter given.

atilladehun

I wouldn't keep Coates if we want him to develop and be a contender for the first team. He needs games and lots of them. Get him off to a PL team to play30 games.

martyos121

atilladehun wrote: »

I wouldn't keep Coates if we want him to develop and be a contender for the first team. He needs games and lots of them. Get him off to a PL team to play30 games.

I can definitely see him doing well on loan at Villa if Vlaar is sold. It's a move that makes sense for both parties. I think Sunderland or Southampton would also be good moves where he'd be pretty much guaranteed to play week in, week out.

smileyj1987

atilladehun wrote: »

I wouldn't keep Coates if we want him to develop and be a contender for the first team. He needs games and lots of them. Get him off to a PL team to play30 games.

I would offer him to Southampton for the year . Plus he would have a mate there in Ramirez so it would make a lot of sense .

Thanx 4 The Fish

He is a talented footballer and has skill, not sure dc is his position, maybe he could be a tall makelele for someone. Has the athleticism and likes to get his body in the way but I currently shudder when I think of him being our last line of defence. Maybe experience will help his confidence and a go at a pl club where he is relied upon is the way to go. Handy for us as well when we have to play them!

Cjs21

Lavezzi wants Juve instead of us and more Balotelli links, this makes me very happy.

Agent Coulson

Balotelli for around £15m as the price quoted would be worth the risk I think.

joe123

Cjs21 wrote: »

Lavezzi wants Juve instead of us and more Balotelli links, this makes me very happy.

An aul source wouldnt go amiss. Even if its someone on twitter.

Harry Palmr

Cjs21 wrote: »

Lavezzi wants Juve instead of us and more Balotelli links, this makes me very happy.

joe123 wrote: »

An aul source wouldnt go amiss. Even if its someone on twitter.

All the proof you need!

Brendan Rodgers confirms interest in Liverpool transfer target Mario Balotelli

feel free to throw eggs at Metro Sports Reporter Jamie Sanderson!

rob316

It's a broken record at this stage but if balotelli cops on he can be the best. If rodgers could tame him it would be a huge bargain at £15m. I would be concerned on how disruptive he would be to the squad though he is a looper.

greendom

Ideal replacement for Suarez in more ways than one

rob316

greendom wrote: »

Ideal replacement for Suarez in more ways than one

Aye without suarez we are missing that figure of hate for rivals fans.

Cjs21

joe123 wrote: »

An aul source wouldnt go amiss. Even if its someone on twitter.

Had the link copied but never pasted :pac:

Heres another one

Star

Augmerson

If Balotelli can be got for 20m eurodollars then we should do it. I'm not really gone on him but Sturridge and Lambert aren't enough firepower for the season the club is facing.

Liam O

Vicxas wrote: »

I dont rate him at all, not after his WC performance.

Its lazy journalism at its best.

You mean being the main CB on the World Cup winning team? Yeah, what a donkey.

greendom

rob316 wrote: »

Aye without suarez we are missing that figure of hate for rivals fans.

Wouldn't worry about that. I'm sure one can be found!

5live

Augmerson wrote: »

If Balotelli can be got for 20m eurodollars then we should do it. I'm not really gone on him but Sturridge and Lambert aren't enough firepower for the season the club is facing.

If Balotelli is as good as people are saying then why is he only going for a few bob more than Borini?

When he is good he is great but when he isn't its like playing with 9 men. I just can't see him tracking back much and when he does, i see a lot of frees conceded on the edge of the box.

I just can't see BR signing such a potential disruption to the team ethic he has worked so hard to achieve.

michael999999

5live wrote: »

If Balotelli is as good as people are saying then why is he only going for a few bob more than Borini?

When he is good he is great but when he isn't its like playing with 9 men. I just can't see him tracking back much and when he does, i see a lot of frees conceded on the edge of the box.

I just can't see BR signing such a potential disruption to the team ethic he has worked so hard to achieve.

How much was Sturridge again?

5live

michael999999 wrote: »

How much was Sturridge again?

£12m;)

NukaCola

Liam O wrote: »

You mean being the main CB on the World Cup winning team? Yeah, what a donkey.

Pretty sure he was talking about Lavezzi

Tusky

We still need a top quality attacker - someone who has the potential to go on to be a Torres, Suarez, Aguero, Van Persie, Drogba type player. And I don't mean the potential to achieve that level in the next four or five years, someone who is already nearly there. They would cost money, but that shouldn't be an issue for us, and it's the only way to replace Suarez.

We can't rely on Sturridge (injury prone), Coutiniho (inconsistent), Sterling (still only 19), Markovic (untested) etc. We have lots of good players and a really exciting team, but we will fall short without a reliable game changer.

Ardent

Wouldn't want to see Balotelli at the club for any price! The guy is a liability and an utter nutjob.

Soft Falling Rain

I always defended Balotelli until one game where he was just an absolute disgrace. I think it was actually against Man Utd, where Mancini took a punt by starting him when at a time he was under immense pressure.

Ended up being subbed at HT or just after it in a game he was lucky not to have been sent off in. He's not worth a punt at any cost.

djPSB

5live wrote: »

If Balotelli is as good as people are saying then why is he only going for a few bob more than Borini?

When he is good he is great but when he isn't its like playing with 9 men. I just can't see him tracking back much and when he does, i see a lot of frees conceded on the edge of the box.

I just can't see BR signing such a potential disruption to the team ethic he has worked so hard to achieve.

It's more a matter of Borini being overvalued.

Devilman40k

djPSB wrote: »

It's more a matter of Borini being overvalued.

And Balotelli's lack of effort (for all the talent he has) causing his value to drop.

There's a reason City , Inter and Milan have let / are willing to let him go. He's trouble off the pitch and a waste of undeniable talent on it.

Kess73

Would be delighted to see Balotelli playing at Anfield again, as long as it was for the opposing team.


The guy does have have the ability to get fans on their feet, but only after he has had them pulling their hair out for many games on end beforehand. He is more entertaining off the pitch than he is on the pitch imho.


Reckon he only got a mention from Rodgers due to the game tonight, and that a few journos are trying to turn it into a "Mario to Liverpool" bit of tabloid fodder.

martyos121

If Milan are willing, I'd love to take Balotelli on loan until January, with an option to buy in that window. He's just not worth the risk of paying £14m for him, so it would be great to see if Rodgers and Steve Peters can sort his head out and get the best out of him, before splashing out. Doubt Milan would allow it, though.

Kess73

martyos121 wrote: »

If Milan are willing, I'd love to take Balotelli on loan until January, with an option to buy in that window. He's just not worth the risk of paying £14m for him, so it would be great to see if Rodgers and Steve Peters can sort his head out and get the best out of him, before splashing out. Doubt Milan would allow it, though.

An Italian club on the wrong end of a loan deal? Not sure if that is scientifically possible.:)

Augmerson

Did I hear something about Steve Clarke working with the club again?

NukaCola

I reckon BR could get the best out of Balotelli......the guy could be amazing, but not sure we need to risk a transfer like that. His influence could be really disruptive to a young squad such as ours.

Kess73

NukaCola wrote: »

I reckon BR could get the best out of Balotelli......the guy could be amazing, but not sure we need to risk a transfer like that. His influence could be really disruptive to a young squad such as ours.

Stuff his influence on the squad. What about his influence on the city? Folks would go out at night not knowing whether they would be coming home with a 20k watch in their pocket or some fireworks stuck to their heads.

Soft Falling Rain

NukaCola wrote: »

I reckon BR could get the best out of Balotelli......the guy could be amazing, but not sure we need to risk a transfer like that. His influence could be really disruptive to a young squad such as ours.

Mancini was supposedly quite close to Balotelli and still got treated like garbage. I'm not sure even BR would be able to weave his magic.

billy2012

For in an around 14M I would definitely take a chance on the Balotelli lad. Always been a huge fan and definitely think Rodgers could get the best from him.

garra

Soft Falling Rain wrote: »

Mancini was supposedly quite close to Balotelli and still got treated like garbage. I'm not sure even BR would be able to weave his magic.

If we sign Balotelli I will take that as a signal that Rodgers recent success has gone to his head.. This is the only possible reason why Balotelli would be taken on, as a trophy "player turn-around" of the highest order. I dont think Rodgers has lost the run of himself yet so I'm quite calm about this rumour today, I can compartmentalize it without any panic attacks

taidghbaby

Kess73 wrote: »

Stuff his influence on the squad. What about his influence on the city? Folks would go out at night not knowing whether they would be coming home with a 20k watch in their pocket or some fireworks stuck to their heads.

So....just a normal night out in Liverpool?

whatawaster

garra wrote: »

If we sign Balotelli I will take that as a signal that Rodgers recent success has gone to his head.. This is the only possible reason why Balotelli would be taken on, as a trophy "player turn-around" of the highest order. I dont think Rodgers has lost the run of himself yet so I'm quite calm about this rumour today, I can compartmentalize it without any panic attacks

In fairness, he has 18, 15 and 17 goals each of the last 3 seasons and that as a very young player. He is a good player.

smileyj1987

garra wrote: »

If we sign Balotelli I will take that as a signal that Rodgers recent success has gone to his head.. This is the only possible reason why Balotelli would be taken on, as a trophy "player turn-around" of the highest order. I dont think Rodgers has lost the run of himself yet so I'm quite calm about this rumour today, I can compartmentalize it without any panic attacks

Wow ! That's abit much ! Ballotelli could be world class if he came to a club like Liverpool .
BR is the type of manager mario needs . I get the feeling mario is the type of person that likes people to put the arm around him and BR seems to have that about him . So yeah I would take Ballotelli . If you get him for the rumoured price tag he could be bargain of the last 10 years .

NukaCola

Soft Falling Rain wrote: »

Mancini was supposedly quite close to Balotelli and still got treated like garbage. I'm not sure even BR would be able to weave his magic.

Its a risk I wouldn't take. Thats not to say BR wont though.

K-9

Balotelli is like the antithesis of Suarez in attitude and application. No thanks.

Harry Palmr

Augmerson wrote: »

Did I hear something about Steve Clarke working with the club again?

garra

smileyj1987 wrote: »

Wow ! That's abit much ! Ballotelli could be world class if he came to a club like Liverpool .
BR is the type of manager mario needs . I get the feeling mario is the type of person that likes people to put the arm around him and BR seems to have that about him . So yeah I would take Ballotelli . If you get him for the rumoured price tag he could be bargain of the last 10 years .

I prefer Rodgers without grey hair and a world-weary pained expression. Neither would match his teeth.



Balotelli has issues from his early days of adoption and seems unable or unwilling to address those issues. Dude will let you down, talented as he is. I love talented players with personality flaws (a la Suarez) but any comparison is essentially flawed as Balotelli does not have the hunger to succeed and to be a great team player just focused on the next game for his team. I will leave you with these words from Mancini who ultimately failed but gave it everything he had for Mario..

"I told him, if you played with me 10 years ago I would give you every day maybe one punch in your head. There are different ways to help a guy like Mario. I don't speak with him every day, otherwise I would need a psychologist, but I speak with him because I don't want him to lose his quality. If Mario is not one of the best players in the world it will be his fault, because he has everything. Mario can be one of the top players in Europe. I don't want him to lose his talent."