Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2014 - Mod Note in OP, 1/09

kfallon

Super-Rush wrote: »

Their league position says different.

Their last two performances against us at Anfield say different to the above!

I take it you were disgusted when we signed Lallana and Loveren then?

Super-Rush

Underpaid Mike wrote: »

So you are writing off a player that has scored 106 goals in 197 games since 2009 because of 10 mins he played against a city team who were beating us 3-0 and we were effectively down to 10 men due to an injury and no subs left?
Beggars belief to say the very least.

What league did he score the majority of those goals?

You're writing off a player that has been given zero chance by the club who bought him.

pmy.murphy

jcsoulinger wrote: »

Anyone who thinks Borini is a better option than Lambert is just plain wrong, IMO.

Well neither player has done enough for the club just yet to be making that sort of judgement. Its early days for both players

Knex*

jcsoulinger wrote: »

Anyone who thinks Borini is a better option than Lambert is just plain wrong, IMO.

That's the crucial bit.

Super-Rush

kfallon wrote: »

Their last two performances against us at Anfield say different to the above!

I take it you were disgusted when we signed Lallana and Loveren then?

I was horrified at the price payed for both of them.

Lovern has done little to justify the price tag and Lallana has done nothing, period.

rob316

pmy.murphy wrote: »

Lambert who showed that hes a very good player at Southampton I dont think will have the effect we desire. He was very much the key man for Southampton up front and the team was more or less built to support him. He will not be the key man for us plus I dont think he possesses the mental toughness to survive at a big club but its early days yet so I wont rush to judgement. Borini has played at Chelsea as a youth, for Roma where he was one of their best players in Serie A at the time and got a move to Liverpool at perhaps an awkward time with a new manager implementing new principles plus he was injured most of the time. He showed what he can do last season for Sunderland if given a run of games. I think he deserves a chance and admire him for his determination to stay and get stuck in. Thats an excellent attribute to have. Not saying he will or should be a starter but he at least deserves a chance and I reckon he will turn out to be a better option than Lambert. Just my opinion. At the moment Borini doesnt deserve to be ahead of Lambert and has got to prove that first

Bull plop, he has battled through the lower leagues to get back to Liverpool, he has more mental toughness than you can imagine. He's 32, he knows his role.

Knex*

Super-Rush wrote: »

I was horrified at the price payed for both of them.

Lovern has done little to justify the price tag and Lallana has done nothing, period.

Well... He was injured.

kfallon

BenThere wrote: »

Man I wish my crystal ball was as reliable as yours. We need 4 strikers, particularly if we're going to be playing 2 up top quite a bit and especially for FA and League cup matches.

There's also a good chance the time will come when Balotelli is suspended and Sturridge is injured and we may be very glad to have someone with Borini's hunger on the bench.

If that was the case the club should either let him go to an Italian club if that's what he wants and accept they can't pay PL type fees or pay up his contract and let him off. Trying to force him to join a club he doesn't want to join and then blaming Borini for not allowing himself to be pressured into doing something he doesn't want to do is crass and not what LFC is about. Wasn't it only last week BR was waxing lyrical about LFC being a special club with family values?? See 54 seconds into the clip below. How does forcing a member of your 'family' out the door when all he wants is a decent chance to prove himself reconcile with the stated club values?

LFC 'fans' calling Borini a disgrace or blaming him for wanting to stay and fight for his place should be ashamed of themselves.

Ben

We didn't have 4 strikers last season and tbh if Balotelli or Sturridge got injured I'd much rather see Sterling pushed up top than Borini.

As for the family values point, so we've never told a player to leave who wanted to stay? Think you need to open your eyes, I bet the likes of Adam, Carroll, Downing, Spearing and Shelvey all wanted to stay but they were shown the door....and not for free either.

Super-Rush

Knex. wrote: »

Well... He was injured.

Aquilani MkII.

Nah thats unfair on my part.

The fee was over the top though.

jcsoulinger

pmy.murphy wrote: »

Well neither player has done enough for the club just yet to be making that sort of judgement. Its early days for both players

Right so based on last years performances in the pl, its pretty obvious to me who's the better option.

Harry Palmr

Christ football should be like baseball, a game every 2 days, would stop this nonsense.

Underpaid Mike

Super-Rush wrote: »

What league did he score the majority of those goals?

You're writing off a player that has been given zero chance by the club who bought him.

He scored 28 goals in 66 appearances in his first two season in the premiership
He is our third choice striker, what on earth are you looking for from the lad exactly ?

kfallon

Super-Rush wrote: »

You're writing off a player that has been given zero chance by the club who bought him.

I have faith in the managers abilities and if he was happy to let Borini leave (whom he's worked at with 2, maybe 3 different clubs) then I'm pretty sure he's not good enough for our club

pmy.murphy

rob316 wrote: »

Bull plop, he has battled through the lower leagues to get back to Liverpool, he has more mental toughness than you can imagine. He's 32, he knows his role.

He may battled his way back this but this is a completely different environment for him playing at a club with significantly higher expectations than he has experienced before and its a different kind of challenge

MD1990

pmy.murphy wrote: »

He may battled his way back this but this is a completely different environment for him playing at a club with significantly higher expectations than he has experienced before and its a different kind of challenge

He may or may not do well too early to judge. To say he hasn't the mental toughness to play for the club is strange. He may just not be good enough.

Super-Rush

Underpaid Mike wrote: »

He scored 28 goals in 66 appearances in his first two season in the premiership
He is our third choice striker, what on earth are you looking for from the lad exactly ?

Tbh i'm not looking for anything from him.

I don't know why he was signed.

He doesn't fit the style of football we play, he is too slow and has no experience at a top club. Oh wait he does, Liverpool, and they released him.

kfallon

pmy.murphy wrote: »

He may battled his way back this but this is a completely different environment for him playing at a club with significantly higher expectations than he has experienced before and its a different kind of challenge

Playing for England is very high pressure too, 3 goals in 7 games is not a shabby return tbh

kfallon

Super-Rush wrote: »

He doesn't fit the style of football we play, he is too slow and has no experience at a top club. Oh wait he does, Liverpool, and they released him.

Oh my Lord!

Right I'm done, you won't get a worse comment than that! Lad was 15/16 :rolleyes:

BenEadir

Super-Rush wrote: »

I don't know why he was signed.

He doesn't fit the style of football we play

That's EXACTLY why he was signed. He offers us an alternative if "the style of football" we play isn't working and we need to break through two buses parked on the goal line.

Isn't that obvious?

Ben

pmy.murphy

jcsoulinger wrote: »

Right so based on last years performances in the pl, its pretty obvious to me who's the better option.

Past performance at a previous midtable club doesnt count for much at a massive club like Liverpool. If thats the case shouldnt Charlie Adam still be with us? On that basis you cant predict whos going to be a better option. Both could fail miserably or else Borini may do a Hendo on it and prove people wrong. If he manages to do that I cant see where Lambert will come in, I really dont see him making much of an impact. He did look rather overrawed by it in Pre-Season but thats Pre-Season I suppose. Aspas was a Pre-Season King last season and look how that turned out

Super-Rush

kfallon wrote: »

Playing for England is very high pressure too, 3 goals in 7 games is not a shabby return tbh

Against the might of Ecuador, Moldova and Scotland.

We done well to get him ahead of City, Chelsea and Arsenal.

pmy.murphy

kfallon wrote: »

Playing for England is very high pressure too, 3 goals in 7 games is not a shabby return tbh

To be fair you have got a point there. I hope he does prove me wrong but he knows how much he has worked to get to where he is now and there is no doubt he will be under pressure to prove himself at Liverpool this time

Underpaid Mike

Super-Rush wrote: »

Tbh i'm not looking for anything from him.

I don't know why he was signed.

He doesn't fit the style of football we play, he is too slow and has no experience at a top club. Oh wait he does, Liverpool, and they released him.

He played up front on a Southampton side that were widely applauded for playing a fast high pressing style. Pretty much exactly the same as Liverpool but without the sprinkling of world class players such as Gerrard and Suarez. Thats the reason we signed 3 of their players, proven in the premiership and will slot seamlessy into our system.
We have the fastest attack in the country, what happens when our plan A doesnt work ? Just like Hull away last season or Southampton at home both games we lost as we didnt have a plan B. He is our plan B and a damn fine one, for a paltry 4m. Not alone is it a good signing its an excellent signing when you factor in the wages and fee.
Lovern and Lallana fees are not overly excessive when compared to whats being spent in the market. We overpaid by 3-5m but we probably underpaid on Moreno by 5m+

Super-Rush

Underpaid Mike wrote: »

He played up front on a Southampton side that were widely applauded for playing a fast high pressing style. Pretty much exactly the same as Liverpool but without the sprinkling of world class players such as Gerrard and Suarez. Thats the reason we signed 3 of their players, proven in the premiership and will slot seamlessy into our system.
We have the fastest attack in the country, what happens when our plan A doesnt work ? Just like Hull away last season or Southampton at home both games we lost as we didnt have a plan B. He is our plan B and a damn fine one, for a paltry 4m. Not alone is it a good signing its an excellent signing when you factor in the wages and fee.
Lovern and Lallana fees are not overly excessive when compared to whats being spent in the market. We overpaid by 3-5m but we probably underpaid on Moreno by 5m+

I hope he rams my words down my throat i really do.

Can't see it happening though.

mayordenis

You see someone like Lambert who can use his strenghts to bring our other exceedingly fast players into the game will actually speed up our attack.

You seem to think the only way to play fast football is to have 11 whippets.

kfallon

Super-Rush wrote: »

Against the might of Ecuador, Moldova and Scotland.

We done well to get him ahead of City, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Bet you're one of these people who like to cut the back off Robbie Keane for his International scoring record!

I didn't realise we had to wait for your blessing about how good the opposition was (in your opinion) before we could appreciate a goal.

Pilsbury Doughboy

This thread today, roll on Saturday week.

Underpaid Mike

Brilliant read on Sturridge for anyone that hasnt read it

http://statsbomb.com/2014/02/we-need-to-talk-about-daniel-sturridge/

According to data gurus Opta, in the history of the Premier League, how many players averaged one goal or more per 90 when playing at least half a season?

Only two, Ronaldo and Sturridge. Take our penos and Ronaldos is well below 1.
Last season Sturridge was the most clinical striker in the history of the Premiership over the course of a season. Breathtaking stuff

K-9

BenThere wrote: »

If that was the case the club should either let him go to an Italian club if that's what he wants and accept they can't pay PL type fees or pay up his contract and let him off. Trying to force him to join a club he doesn't want to join and then blaming Borini for not allowing himself to be pressured into doing something he doesn't want to do is crass and not what LFC is about. Wasn't it only last week BR was waxing lyrical about LFC being a special club with family values??

When did all this happen?

K-9

Super-Rush wrote: »

Against the might of Ecuador, Moldova and Scotland.

We done well to get him ahead of City, Chelsea and Arsenal.

I'd much prefer Falcao over Lambert myself.

Fescue

Underpaid Mike wrote: »

Brilliant read on Sturridge for anyone that hasnt read it

http://statsbomb.com/2014/02/we-need-to-talk-about-daniel-sturridge/

According to data gurus Opta, in the history of the Premier League, how many players averaged one goal or more per 90 when playing at least half a season?

Only two, Ronaldo and Sturridge. Take our penos and Ronaldos is well below 1.
Last season Sturridge was the most clinical striker in the history of the Premiership over the course of a season. Breathtaking stuff

I don't think people appreciate how good Sturridge is. The guy is a fantastic footballer.

Super-Rush

kfallon wrote: »

Bet you're one of these people who like to cut the back off Robbie Keane for his International scoring record!

I didn't realise we had to wait for your blessing about how good the opposition was (in your opinion) before we could appreciate a goal.

What's with hostile attitude? If you can't handle the fact that I've a different opinion to you then don't read or reply to my posts.

Fescue

Memo to Brenden, use the diamond formation more.

Hoki

Super-Rush wrote: »

Against the might of Ecuador, Moldova and Scotland.

We done well to get him ahead of City, Chelsea and Arsenal.

I am what your location says . Terrible post , among many of your other ones on the topic. By your reckoning only goals against top sides count ? Chalk off about 40 goals from Robbie Keanes tally so .

kfallon

Super-Rush wrote: »

What's with hostile attitude? If you can't handle the fact that I've a different opinion to you then don't read or reply to my posts.

It's not hostile but it annoys me when people try to demean players for scoring for their country by saying, "Ah sure it was only against Andorra, Hungary and Estonia!"

It's not their fault who the opposition is!

Anyway we've gone way off topic here so we'll leave it at that!

Borini and Lambert to do a Sheringham/Solskjaer in the CL Final next May? :pac:

Harry Palmr

Fescue wrote: »

Memo to Brenden, use the diamond formation more.

Huge fan of the 4-4-2 diamond, easily the formation that gets the most out of Liverpools core squad, a bit hard on Markovic mind you but he'll get his chances through the season.

Fescue

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Huge fan of the 4-4-2 diamond, easily the formation that gets the most out of Liverpools core squad, a bit hard on Markovic mind you but he'll get his chances through the season.

I was just thinking about how Sterling performs so brilliantly in the role behind the front two. If Sterling was to get injured, I actually think Markovic is the perfect replacement.

Underpaid Mike

http://www.thepfa.com/transferlist/listedplayers/sortbydate/-1/-1/-1/-1/premier%20league/1/

Right im bored, thats a list of free agents we can still sign. Anyone tickle peoples fancy ?

Includes people like Victor Valdes, Ronaldinho, Matthew Etherington, Abdoulaye Faye, Robert Earnshaw, Mikele Leigertwood, David Prutton, Anthony Gardner, Adam Drury, Sean St Ledger, Luke Young, Zat Knight, Peter Lovenkrands.

pmy.murphy

Underpaid Mike wrote: »

http://www.thepfa.com/transferlist/listedplayers/sortbydate/-1/-1/-1/-1/premier%20league/1/

Right im bored, thats a list of free agents we can still sign. Anyone tickle peoples fancy ?

Includes people like Victor Valdes, Ronaldinho, Matthew Etherington, Abdoulaye Faye, Robert Earnshaw, Mikele Leigertwood, David Prutton, Anthony Gardner, Adam Drury, Sean St Ledger, Luke Young, Zat Knight, Peter Lovenkrands.

My goodness, Luke Young remember the days we were linked with signing him?? Good grief:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Utopia Parkway

The only drawback in terms of the 442 diamond as regards the squad is that it leaves Sterling, Coutinho and Markovic basically competing for one spot and right now Sterling is almost the first name on the teamsheet. That means a lot of time on the bench for Coutinho and Markovic. At least Lallana could probably interchange with Henderson and Allen a bit.

Fescue

Utopia Parkway wrote: »

The only drawback in terms of the 442 diamond as regards the squad is that it leaves Sterling, Coutinho and Markovic basically competing for one spot and right now Sterling is almost the first name on the teamsheet. That means a lot of time on the bench for Coutinho and Markovic. At least Lallana could probably interchange with Henderson and Allen a bit.

I think Coutinho can play as one of the two midfielders in front of Gerrard. Has done so quite well in the past.

~Rebel~

Quickly on the Borini/Lambert thing - there's plenty of need for both.

If Sturridge were injured, Borini is definitely the one to come in. The system doesn't need to change with him.

If we're hitting a brick wall with 30 minutes left, and running out of ideas, Lambert is the ideal person to come in and cause a bit of chaos.

Horses for courses, and we play 2 up enough times that you need 2 backups.

I'm actually the happiest with our depth up front that i've been for a very long time.

Harry Palmr

Fescue wrote: »

I was just thinking about how Sterling performs so brilliantly in the role behind the front two. If Sterling was to get injured, I actually think Markovic is the perfect replacement.

Might be worth a go all right. That said Markovic could be used in a two up ahead of Sterling in a striker injury crisis.

Utopia Parkway wrote: »

The only drawback in terms of the 442 diamond as regards the squad is that it leaves Sterling, Coutinho and Markovic basically competing for one spot and right now Sterling is almost the first name on the teamsheet. That means a lot of time on the bench for Coutinho and Markovic. At least Lallana could probably interchange with Henderson and Allen a bit.

Coutinho's greatest assist last season came playing on the flank of the diamond against Arsenal.

Fescue

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Might be worth a go all right. That said Markovic could be used in a two up ahead of Sterling in a striker injury crisis.




Coutinho's greatest assist last season came playing on the flank of the diamond against Arsenal.

When I read about Markovic before he joined, this was the position many suggested was his best. Behind the striker.

The ability to beat players in central midfield and get running at centre backs is such an asset. Seems to cause chaos. The lack of great defensive midfielders helps.

whatawaster

Fescue wrote: »

When I read about Markovic before he joined, this was the position many suggested was his best. Behind the striker.

The ability to beat players in central midfield and get running at centre backs is such an asset. Seems to cause chaos. The lack of great defensive midfielders helps.

Imagine how good we would be against us.

Sterling would destroy us. The space he'd have

Fescue

whatawaster wrote: »

Imagine how good we would be against us.

Sterling would destroy us. The space he'd have

Lets just hope no one thinks of doing that to us. To be fair, there aren't too many players of the quality of Sterling who could play that role. I said it at the start of the season and so far it seems to be happening, Sterling is moving onto another level. If he keeps progressing as he is, I think we will have the most valuable player in the league in 2/3 years.

Harry Palmr

Fescue wrote: »

Lets just hope no one thinks of doing that to us. To be fair, there aren't too many players of the quality of Sterling who could play that role. I said it at the start of the season and so far it seems to be happening, Sterling is moving onto another level. If he keeps progressing as he is, I think we Real Madrid will have the most valuable player in their league in 2/3 years.

Underpaid Mike

Sell him for £120m, replace him with Ibe.
Sell Ibe for £150m in 2018.
Simples

mosstin

Underpaid Mike wrote: »

http://www.thepfa.com/transferlist/listedplayers/sortbydate/-1/-1/-1/-1/premier%20league/1/

Right im bored, thats a list of free agents we can still sign. Anyone tickle peoples fancy ?

Includes people like Victor Valdes, Ronaldinho, Matthew Etherington, Abdoulaye Faye, Robert Earnshaw, Mikele Leigertwood, David Prutton, Anthony Gardner, Adam Drury, Sean St Ledger, Luke Young, Zat Knight, Peter Lovenkrands.

Wow. Blast from the past. I'm guessing not even he is aware he's still a footballer.

pmy.murphy

mosstin wrote: »

Wow. Blast from the past. I'm guessing not even he is aware he's still a footballer.

Yes he was released by Birmingham last summer. Was actually a pretty good player once upon a time