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

Underpaid Mike

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

What's pathetic is that some people want to shut down any negative commentary on Liverpool by labelling anyone with a bearish analysis as a non fan secretly hoping we are unsuccessful.

I want massive success for the club, nothing less.

Perhaps you do but I want sustainable success for the club
Paying 80m for Falcao or people endlessly pointing out we have not spent the Suarez money despite there being the rest of August left in the transfer window is just crazy carry on.
I want BR to build a team and a squad capable of competing at the top of the league and establishing a foothold in the CL. I DONT want to see him spend 50m every transfer window on marquee signings to achieve that. I, like so many here, buy into the FSG philosophy of buying outrageous talented young players and building something from the ground up rather than going the Chelsea route of spending the GDP of a small african nation on players who are either brilliant (drogba, hazard) or beyond useless (Shevchenko, Torres).
We cant afford to make a 50m mistake as there is no magic pot of gold which we can dip into if we spend badly.

Cjs21

André Schürrle available for £25 million according to reports. He's worth that in my book.

Source: Express

murpho999

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

The squad has been deepened out and improved as it stands and we are on course for a negligible net spend with a striker required. Asking for that striker to be an aggressive purchase is not as silly as made out. We finished second last year. So what. It will only get harder to retain top four this year and this club should never accept playing in Europe for the craic. We have a pile of money and NEED a quality addition to the first eleven.

So yeah, in that context asking for a big move is not as ridiculous as you contend.

Why are you saying that we are on course for a negative net spend when they have said they are after a striker and also the window is not over yet?

dogbert27

Cjs21 wrote: »

André Schürrle available for £25 million according to reports. He's worth that in my book.

Source: Express

I would have thought they'd be looking for more.

They bought the guy for 18 million last year, had a good season with them and as just won the world cup!

If we could get great but where do we play Reus then?

LuckyLloyd

murpho999 wrote: »

Why are you saying that we are on course for a negative net spend when they have said they are after a striker and also the window is not over yet?

I said 'negligible'. My point is that - accepting there is more business to be done - there should be no financial limitations placed upon potential deals.

googled eyes

TheMirror

Barca admit to tapping up Suarez before the World Cup

president Josep Bartomeu has now said in the wake of the £75million transfer: “When we approached Suarez, it was before the World Cup. We told him that he had the right age. He had the experience.

Devilman40k

dogbert27 wrote: »

If we could get great but where do we play Reus then?

Left back...I thought that was the plan all along!!

Knex*

Cjs21 wrote: »

André Schürrle available for £25 million according to reports. He's worth that in my book.

Source: Express

Would love to have him, I really would.

Chelsea, though, I can't see selling to us. Definitely not after Sturridge. Even if we did earn Brownie points for taking Mo'forehead for a season.

Chip Whitley

Can't see us getting Schurrle for a whole host of reasons, but I'd be absofeckinlutely thrilled if we did. Hugely underrated player. Think Chelsea would be mad to let him go.

googled eyes

Would love us to sign Schürrle but never gonna happen

dogbert27

Read in the Mail that Newcastle are offering Ben Arfa on loan to Lyon to try and get a deal in place for Lacazette.

I think he is one striker in the Remy category that we should be going for.

Can see Newcastle getting him for 10 million and us buying him next season for 25 million from them!! :rolleyes:

NukaCola

I can see where some of the doom and gloom is coming from but i think some people should look at the bigger picture and realise we are in great shape as a club overall.

Last season we brought in Toure/Aspas/Alberto/Ilori/Sakho with loan deals for Cissokho and Moses. Our business this window has been vastly better.

We are slowly building our reputation back up, it will be slow and steady. Superstars on top of their game come with a hefty price tag we may be able to afford but thats not our transfer policy, and we might not be the most attractive option to them just yet. Sure, we have lots going for us but we are still a bit away from cementing our top 4 place.

I think the majority of fans recognise we need a goalscorer added. BR said he wants another striker, we can only take his word for it that the club are trying their best to bring in the right one. We cant replace Suarez but another quality attacker to what we already added will have us in great shape for the season.

Agent Coulson

Underpaid Mike wrote: »

Dream draw: Porto, FC Basel, Anderlect
Nightmare draw: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Roma

We are not going to win the CL this season.

So I would prefer the second group there.

It gives the players big game experience, It once again shows Europe and top players what big CL nights are like at Anfield. If we get knocked out to those teams that's understandable for a team building for the future, compared to maybe getting knocked out to the first group of teams.

Also playing teams in the second group will attrach players wanting CL football more than the first group of teams.


CL this season is a huge bouns for the players but the main thing this season is getting top 4 again.

K-9

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

I said 'negligible'. My point is that - accepting there is more business to be done - there should be no financial limitations placed upon potential deals.

I know Kess made a joke about FIFA14 earlier, you seem to think running a football club is just like playing the game.

Underpaid Mike

Not sure how credible this lad is but he seems to be pretty spot on with all the Moreno stuff up until now. The other stuff however all seems new to me.
He claims to be a former director as FSG

Victor Valdes looks set to join LFC. Brendan Rodgers rates the Spaniard highly and will look to make a move once Reina is offloaded

Rodgers will have the Spaniard assessed in Oct/Nov before deciding whether to pursue the move further in the January window

The club are seriously considering activating Jackson Martinez's new €35m release clause which equates to around £28m or so.

Wilfried Bony and Alexandre Lacazette also remain options although there is absolutely no truth in the Ezequiel Lavezzi rumours at all

Monchi now says he expects Moreno to be at the club for the ESC on August 12. The papers will just continually spout fee structure and wages for the next few days though the deal has ALREADY been sewn up between Sevilla/Liverpool. Moreno will join LFC on 13th

Underpaid Mike

Echo doing a comparison of Liverpool and Dortmund ahead of the friendly, crazy the amount of similarities


Mod edit: You can put up a link to the article alog with the first paragraph of the article. But the full article without a link to the source material is not allowed..

It is explained here.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056565895

murpho999

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

I said 'negligible'. My point is that - accepting there is more business to be done - there should be no financial limitations placed upon potential deals.

Apologies, misread your post.

Even so I think asking for no financial limitations on deals is unrealistic.

We are not Chelsea or City and even they have limits.

I prefer to wait and see before passing judgement.

This time last year this thread was full of negative posters and many deeming Rodgers not fit for the job and look what happened.

Rayne Wooney

joe123 wrote: »

Anyone that thinks our first 11 is as good/stronger than last season with the way it is currently is wrong. Thats a fact.

We have lost our best player and have not come close to replacing him.

Arsenal are stronger.
Chelsea are stronger.
City are stronger/much the same.
United are stronger.

We are weaker. Our best player is gone and our striking options are Sturridge (injury prone), Lambert (not good enough/plan b) and Borini (not good enough and looks like he is on his way)

We will struggle if we dont bring in a proven goal scorer. Reus is meant to have a release clause for as little as 25 million next season. Why dont we approach Dortmund now and say heres 45-50 million.

Its like some of you have just given up any expectations of signing genuine world class talent. There was a time when we used to believe signing the likes of David Villa was possible.

At the moment Livepool are probably stronger than United

Dortmund to Liverpool is still a step down at the moment so I'd say there's 0 chance of that happening this window.

I'm surprised Firmino wasn't bought ahead of Markovic, he would probably have cost 4 or 5 million more but he's class, it wouldn't make sense buying both though. He would have offered the goals from wide and midfield that would have helped with the loss of Suarez

Kess73

K-9 wrote: »

I know Kess made a joke about FIFA14 earlier, you seem to think running a football club is just like playing the game.

And if he does, so what? Lloyd's pov is his own, and as long as he is willing to debate/argue his point in a civil manner, then the least he should get in return is the same offered back to him.

Fescue

joe123 wrote: »

Anyone that thinks our first 11 is as good/stronger than last season with the way it is currently is wrong. Thats a fact.

We have lost our best player and have not come close to replacing him.

Arsenal are stronger.
Chelsea are stronger.
City are stronger/much the same.
United are stronger.

We are weaker. Our best player is gone and our striking options are Sturridge (injury prone), Lambert (not good enough/plan b) and Borini (not good enough and looks like he is on his way)

We will struggle if we dont bring in a proven goal scorer. Reus is meant to have a release clause for as little as 25 million next season. Why dont we approach Dortmund now and say heres 45-50 million.

Its like some of you have just given up any expectations of signing genuine world class talent. There was a time when we used to believe signing the likes of David Villa was possible.

Dickerty

Cjs21 wrote: »

Source: Express[/URL]

Has the Express got a single thing right this window???

Vinz Mesrine

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

The squad has been deepened out and improved as it stands and we are on course for a negligible net spend with a striker required. Asking for that striker to be an aggressive purchase is not as silly as made out. We finished second last year. So what. It will only get harder to retain top four this year and this club should never accept playing in Europe for the craic. We have a pile of money and NEED a quality addition to the first eleven.

So yeah, in that context asking for a big move is not as ridiculous as you contend.

Since i asked earlier and nobody replied ill ask you directly.

When was the last time Liverpool signed a player who could be labelled as world class(a term I despise using but you get the idea I'm sure). When we were winning title after title after title, the likes of Barnes and Houghton were signed. When we won the champions league in 2005 Mark Gonzalez and Mo Sissoko were signed, when we made it to another final in 2007,The likes of Ryan Babel was signed.

You can get into as much of a tizzy as you like about world class here, world class there, here a Falcao, there a Reus everywhere a Balotelli but the FACT is, we do not now and have never dealt with buying world class players. It's time you learned to accept it and move on from this pathetic conversation.

K-9

Kess73 wrote: »

And if he does, so what? Lloyd's pov is his own, and as long as he is willing to debate/argue his point in a civil manner, then the least he should get in return is the same offered back to him.

I don't think I ever suggested he isn't entitled to a point of view!

Underpaid Mike

Looking forward to December 10th when Moreno does this to Sanchez again

https://vine.co/v/M9YXTD0IFVb

Charlie19

googled eyes wrote: »

Would love us to sign Schürrle but never gonna happen

Yup as someone posted earlier he has the potential to become a top player and would love a player with his attributes at Liverpool, reminds me a bit of Arjen Roben the way he's so direct with his pace.

Knex*

Kess73 wrote: »

And if he does, so what? Lloyd's pov is his own, and as long as he is willing to debate/argue his point in a civil manner, then the least he should get in return is the same offered back to him.

To be fair, are most people not doing just that?

Underpaid Mike

Why on earth are we being linked to Mauro Icardi ?
And for the baffling figure for €30m ?
He scored 9 goals last season and 20 goals in 55 games in Serie A

Devilman40k

Vinz Mesrine wrote: »

Since i asked earlier and nobody replied ill ask you directly.

When was the last time Liverpool signed a player who could be labelled as world class(a term I despise using but you get the idea I'm sure). When we were winning title after title after title, the likes of Barnes and Houghton were signed. When we won the champions league in 2005 Mark Gonzalez and Mo Sissoko were signed, when we made it to another final in 2007,The likes of Ryan Babel was signed.

You can get into as much of a tizzy as you like about world class here, world class there, here a Falcao, there a Reus everywhere a Balotelli but the FACT is, we do not now and have never dealt with buying world class players. It's time you learned to accept it and move on from this pathetic conversation.

It's hardly a pathetic conversation, it's a fair point we lost a world class player - we should look to add quality to the squad. we may not agree on how we go about it....but it's far from pathetic. Fans want success at different rates.

I don't agree with Lloyds particular view on this, I think spending 80m on Falcao would be insane ...But 35m on a Jackson Martinez or 40m on Reus...when we have it to spend is perfectly acceptable and something we could realistically try. As long as we are trying for the right player and fill the gaps with acceptable quality (which we have already done this window)

Cjs21

Our Squad as of today.

The numbers are there, the quality is there too to a certain extent.

Moral of the post: Chill out and see what we end up with come Sunday week.

joe123

Haha had to skim through some of the responses to my last post.

When I listed the teams being stronger I meant that as a comparison between themselves last season and this. Not stronger than Liverpool

Secondly, when I say replace Suarez I dont actually mean go out and buy messi to replace him. Everyone knows we can't replace him.

Thirdly, I am well aware the window hasn't shut but I am speaking hypothetically, IF our backup/someone to play alongside Sturridge (who may get injured) is Lambert or Borini then we are in a spot of bother there lads.

Last but not least, I have every faith in Rodgers building the club, I have been defending the man since he took the job. Go back over my posts at that period if you can be bothered.

All I am saying is, despite us being out of the Champions league for a few years, we have more than enough money/pulling power to try for a genuine class talent.

So no need to tell me Im over reacting as I am merely just raising a major concern.

Its odd how so many have a blinkered view on the season ahead though. Down playing the loss of Suarez and the like. I know I will be one of the last to get on Rodger's back IF results don't go our way.

Kess73

K-9 wrote: »

I don't think I ever suggested he isn't entitled to a point of view!

No, but a few posts today seemed a bit dismissive of his take on things. I can find plenty in what he said that I disagree with, but am of the thinking that debating it with him works better.

Not trying to have a pop at you over it, and am not in mod mode either, but I do think Lloyd and a few others get dismissed a little easily sometimes due to how their take on things get perceived.


My own take on it is that you and Lloyd would probably make for an interesting enough exchange (and in a very good way) if a debate over the pros and cons of the differing preferences for this transfer window kicked off.

I just happen to like reading both your posts when debate mode kicks in, and thought your short retort was short changing you as much as it was the rest of us in terms of a potential debate being had.

Certainly did not mean to suggest you were trying to say that he was not entitled to an opinion though, and sorry if it came across that way.

PhlegmyMoses

I don't think Liverpool should be buying huge names. Way too risky. They would have to be a hit. Seems to me that Liverpool need to be a bit more like Atletico. Getting players on the cusp of excellence, getting a few years out of them, selling for massive profit and rinse repeat. They have to keep using that money to build an incrementally better squad and hope Rodgers is the real deal. It's the only way past getting a sugar daddy that Liverpool have of cementing Top 4 in the medium term

0028673

Underpaid Mike wrote: »

Why on earth are we being linked to Mauro Icardi ?
And for the baffling figure for €30m ?
He scored 9 goals last season and 20 goals in 55 games in Serie A[/QUOTE

Check out his wife......................... and ahem how he came to meet his wife;)

Fescue

PhlegmyMoses wrote: »

I don't think Liverpool should be buying huge names. Way too risky. They would have to be a hit. Seems to me that Liverpool need to be a bit more like Atletico. Getting players on the cusp of excellence, getting a few years out of them, selling for massive profit and rinse repeat. They have to keep using that money to build an incrementally better squad and hope Rodgers is the real deal. It's the only way past getting a sugar daddy that Liverpool have of cementing Top 4 in the medium term

This I 100% agree with. We are not bankrolled by oil money. Therefore in order to compete with the larger clubs we must be smarter than them.

Devilman40k

Cjs21 wrote: »

Our Squad as of today.

The numbers are there, the quality is there too to a certain extent.

Morale of the post: Chill out and see what we end up with come Sunday week.

Looking at that squad and adding Moreno to it ...our weakest positions are up front (shock horror!) and GK

Be interesting to see who we are looking at as No2 GK

Underpaid Mike

0028673 wrote: »

Underpaid Mike wrote: »

Why on earth are we being linked to Mauro Icardi ?
And for the baffling figure for €30m ?
He scored 9 goals last season and 20 goals in 55 games in Serie A[/QUOTE

Check out his wife......................... and ahem how he came to meet his wife;)

Oh good god, we would have our very own John Terry

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2663942/Mauro-Icardi-gets-tattoo-Maxi-Lopezs-three-children-Inter-Milan-striker-sets-home-ex-wife-Wanda-Nara.html

Gbear

Underpaid Mike wrote: »

Why on earth are we being linked to Mauro Icardi ?
And for the baffling figure for €30m ?
He scored 9 goals last season and 20 goals in 55 games in Serie A

Between the ages of 19 and 21.

That's the important part.

Kess73

Devilman40k wrote: »

It's hardly a pathetic conversation, it's a fair point we lost a world class player - we should look to add quality to the squad. we may not agree on how we go about it....but it's far from pathetic. Fans want success at different rates.

I don't agree with Lloyds particular view on this, I think spending 80m on Falcao would be insane ...But 35m on a Jackson Martinez or 40m on Reus...when we have it to spend is perfectly acceptable and something we could realistically try. As long as we are trying for the right player and fill the gaps with acceptable quality (which we have already done this window)

Exactly. The right player is what we need, or at least the player who ticks enough boxes to suggest he is the right player.

Don't agree at all with the idea of going all out to get Falcao, but do understand the thinking behind such a suggestion.

Suarez is a very special player and we are not going to replace him with one player. So if we can bring in two, three, or even four players this window that all prove to be good enough to improve the first team, then the right player to replace Suarez will in fact turn out to be a group of players.

The single high quality replacement ideal is a little bit away in my opinion. That approach is easier to implement once a team is already at a certain standard. Barca and Real can do it because they have crazy financial resources and they are nearly always adding to a team that is close to being the finished article rather than adding to a team that has a bit to go yet.

Now I am not trying to say that selling Suarez was a good thing by what I am going to say next, but I think selling Suarez is going to see us become a team that has more in common with the likes of Dortmund under Klopp, Valencia under Benitez and Twente under McClaren (first time round).

By that I mean a team that is very strong as a unit, and whilst there may be some very good players within that unit, it will succeed more thanks to group action that it will through the work of one or two genius players.

Can see us becoming more functional at times during the coming season. To use a nickname that was given to Rafa's Valencia, I can see us becoming a crushing machine with other teams falling due to the constant pressing they get exposed to.

We have a number of players in the squad that bring high workrates to the table, and looking at our buys this season it would seem that high workrates and high interception stats are being valued by Rodgers.

I think (well I hope) that we could well see performances this season from Liverpool that will be akin to what we were on the receiving end of a couple of times when we played Rafa's Valencia

5starpool

Underpaid Mike wrote: »

Echo doing a comparison of Liverpool and Dortmund ahead of the friendly, crazy the amount of similarities

Most of those comparison points are contrived and not that similar.

LuckyLloyd

K-9 wrote: »

I know Kess made a joke about FIFA14 earlier, you seem to think running a football club is just like playing the game.

And those obsessed with acquiring talented youth don't? Champo was always about acquiring talented youth and watching them develop.

Sport IS a game with shifting contexts. The financial constraints the club was under have been loosened by a combination of prudence / increased commercials / increased TV money / CL qualification. The competitive status of the club is significantly altered. As such, who's playing a game? Someone pushing for the club to use a pile of money to fill the void left by Suarez or those uninterested in discussing the acquisition of any established elite player over the age of 25?

I'm very comfortable.

LuckyLloyd

Vinz Mesrine wrote: »

Since i asked earlier and nobody replied ill ask you directly.

When was the last time Liverpool signed a player who could be labelled as world class(a term I despise using but you get the idea I'm sure). When we were winning title after title after title, the likes of Barnes and Houghton were signed. When we won the champions league in 2005 Mark Gonzalez and Mo Sissoko were signed, when we made it to another final in 2007,The likes of Ryan Babel was signed.

You can get into as much of a tizzy as you like about world class here, world class there, here a Falcao, there a Reus everywhere a Balotelli but the FACT is, we do not now and have never dealt with buying world class players. It's time you learned to accept it and move on from this pathetic conversation.

Luis Suarez, 2011.

Underpaid Mike

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

And those obsessed with acquiring talented youth don't? Champo was always about acquiring talented youth and watching them develop.

Sport IS a game with shifting contexts. The financial constraints the club was under have been loosened by a combination of prudence / increased commercials / increased TV money / CL qualification. The competitive status of the club is significantly altered. As such, who's playing a game? Someone pushing for the club to use a pile of money to fill the void left by Suarez or those uninterested in discussing the acquisition of any established elite player over the age of 25?

I'm very comfortable.

Financial constraints have hardly been lifted, we still have a giant stadium we will have to build and fund. Remember how hamstrung Arsenal were when the Emirates was being built? They are only now able to reap the benefits of that investment with free cash

Strongbow10

Newcastle have made the signings of the summer, Darlow and Lascelles from Nottingham Forest for a combined 7 million quid.

2 really good players for a crazy price, both would be good additions to our squad.

Darlow to challenge Mignolet and even though we are well stocked at centre half, Lascelles will walk into the England team in 12 months.

Utopia Parkway

Goodbye Howard Webb. Don't hurry back.

Harry Palmr

Anyone disagree? (and yes I have put all central defenders bar the obvious first three for loan or sale, clearly one of them will have to be kept)

While the list of players who might move looks big the management will seek to balance the squad options so some names will definitely stay at the expense of others

Jesus Wept

That has to be the most boring day of posts ever.
What is everyone having for tea?

tok9

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

And those obsessed with acquiring talented youth don't? Champo was always about acquiring talented youth and watching them develop.

Sport IS a game with shifting contexts. The financial constraints the club was under have been loosened by a combination of prudence / increased commercials / increased TV money / CL qualification. The competitive status of the club is significantly altered. As such, who's playing a game? Someone pushing for the club to use a pile of money to fill the void left by Suarez or those uninterested in discussing the acquisition of any established elite player over the age of 25?

I'm very comfortable.

Why does it have to be a so called "elite player"? Picking out Falcao is the same as picking out Ibra, Ronaldo or Messi... there is no chance we could afford or attract these players for various reasons.

Someone linked Jackson Martinez earlier for about £28 million. Now that for example seems like much better value to me and far more realistic too.

What would you think of that?

Cjs21

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Anyone disagree? (and yes I have put all central defenders bar the obvious first three for loan or sale, clearly one of them will have to be kept)

While the list of players who might move looks big the management will seek to balance the squad options so some names will definitely stay at the expense of others

Irrelevant. My post is from todays squad. Your considering possible departures.

I'm gonna add these two to that lsit because we're "Likely" buy them.

mosstin

Utopia Parkway wrote: »

Goodbye Howard Webb. Don't hurry back.

Saw that earlier. Christ, van Gaal is doing a serious recruitment drive in his backroom team.

Fescue

i heart chewy louie wrote: »

That has to be the most boring day of posts ever.
What is everyone having for tea?

Cyanide.