So you are saying Villareal are a bigger draw than Liverpoo at this timel?
In this instance it seems to be the case.
By the way, I think you missed a ‘l’ above.
Liverpool been linked with Aly Cissokho from Lyon.
I have seen him play for Porto and Lyon in the Champions League and he thought him an excellent player. I thought he had some problem with his heart or something which isn’t good obviously.
Excellent player, failed a medical with Milan because of his teeth, which was ironic as they signed Ronaldinho that summer.
Ye’ll probably end up buying Wayne Bridge for 20m though mate.
:lol:
From the guardian
The Kop lives in mortal fear of the mediocre buy, the nonLiverpool signing: a dread that dates back to Phil Babb, Neil Ruddock, Julian Dicks and Jimmy Carter. These unwitting souls are among those blamed for the dilution of the great Anfield tradition of recruiting only aristocrats capable of maintaining the lustre of the ShanklyPaisley era. This understandable defensiveness is a problem for modern Liverpool managers because each new acquisition undergoes an especially fierce scrutiny, especially if he is British and therefore known to the Anfield jury. Buying an average player to perform a specific function stirs the anxieties of supporters who can reel off the duds of the past 10 years, from Paul Konchesky to Salif Diao, Fernando Morientes and Andrea Dossena, who still guarantee a rueful shake of the head on Merseyside. Supporters who have witnessed five European Cup wins are within their rights to demand the highest possible standards, but in the current phase of mass transition there is little prospect of instant elevation to the Premier League’s top spot. Kenny Dalglish is rebuilding not for a title push but a solid top-three place from which a proper challenge can then be mounted. Unless my eyes fail me, Dalglish is organising a staged recovery. And it could be no other way, given the sheer number of passengers and stowaways who packed the squad over a decade of experimentation under Gérard Houllier and Rafael Benítez. The legacy of that transfer trawling still confronts Dalglish, who has so far managed to cull only Konchesky in his summer dealings. The Englishman, bought by Roy Hodgson to perform a limited service at left-back, was perhaps the unhappiest of all recent temporary Anfield residents. His mother’s brief declaration on Facebook that Liverpool fans were “scouse scum” was unlikely to endear her to the locals. This miserable relationship ended when the son trudged off to the King Power Stadium and SvenGoran Eriksson’s Leicester City. Plainly no tears will be shed if he is joined by Alberto Aquilani, Joe Cole, Christian Poulsen, Milan Jovanovic or David Ngog. For all Dalglish’s recent flourishes in the transfer shop, Liverpool’s followers will only really relax when they no longer have to look at players who are emblematic of strategic failings stretching back to the Graeme Souness reign. With Dalglish back in charge and more sensible American owners at the controls, you can sense a burning urge for there to be no more flops on the recruitment front. In that context, the £20m spent on Stewart Downing this week is bound to seem more risky than Liverpool fans would like. Each new face is cast against the backdrop of Robbie Keane, Ryan Babel and Bruno Cheyrou. But a clear policy is emerging under Dalglish and Damien Comolli, the director of football whose presence is bound to cause friction at some point between manager and executive floor. First, Dalglish has employed his knowledge of the youth setup to hurry along John Flanagan, Conor Coady, Jack Robinson and probably now Raheem Sterling, a teenage firefly in wide positions. At the core, Liverpool are investing in mid-twentysomethings, to escape the Europa League trap. Jordan Henderson, 21, and Andy Carroll, 22, are further down that scale, but this summer the main action has come closer to the point of full maturity, with Charlie Adam, 25, joining from Blackpool and Downing, 26, arriving just as his career starts bearing fruit. To see Liverpool spending £36m on Henderson and Downing is bound to unsettle the congregation, especially after the £35m splurge on Carroll, who was listed in Newcastle’s accounts only 18 months ago as a £500,000 asset. In the deepest recesses of Anfield there is mounting anxiety about Carroll’s prospects of graduating to Ian Rush level. Aspects of his “lifestyle” suggest a less than austere approach to life away from the pitch, which may explain the club’s interest in the similarly meaty 18-year-old Connor Wickham, who moved instead to Sunderland. Extending the contract of Glen Johnson, 26, was another act of midrange consolidation, and while these names are unlikely to revive memories of John Barnes, Kevin Keegan, Souness or Dalglish himself, they are a realistic first response to the might of Manchester United, the capriciousness of Chelsea and the petro-wealth of Manchester City, whose £400m deal with Etihad Airlines has so upset the Anfield board. At this moment in their rise from upper mid-table it is less about instant Hollywood sparkle than assembling a core of hardened pros who can lift some of the burden off Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. When John Henry’s firm ousted the speculator-clowns Tom Hicks and George Gillett, we all ran off with the Moneyball theory about cheap talent acquisition. In the event, Liverpool have had to pay well over the odds for players whose price tags massively outweigh their achievements, but it still feels like a shift in the right direction. In this needy age, the CV and star profile are everything but Liverpool are still in the business of restoring something far more precious: their spirit.
bullet points?
Pretty shit article.
Dalglish has said that Liverpool must sell players now before they can buy anymore. Strange prioritisation of signings then, far too many midfielders and a requirement for a left back and a centre half left outstanding.
At present Liverpool have the following midfielders:
- Gerrard (untouchable)
- Henderson (new)
- Adam (new)
- Lucas (unlikely to be sold)
- Aquilani (would sell if terms acceptable although Henry seems to be a fan)
- Meireles (rumours of being prepared to sell although he says he is saying)
- Cole (seems to be staying following what Clarke said the other day)
- Maxi (rumours of him leaving earlier in the summer but he has changed squad number from 17 to 11 which indicates that he may be staying)
- Downing (new)
- Spearing (only a bit part player this season I’d say)
That is a lot of midfielders. I’d say Aquilani is definitely for the exit, and Meireles would be sold if they got a decent price. Cole and Maxi could be both sold (both on around 100k a week according to reports with Jovanovic!) but I would hold on to Maxi as he did well last season.
Also I wonder where Gerrard will play next season. I, for some reason, think that he may play a much more withdrawn role in front of the back four as he struggled with injuries last season. That is not based on anything really and is just a hunch.
Would Aquilani not be a worth a shot this season?
By all accounts he was very good last year, even if it was only in Italy.
Clarke has also been full of praise for Joe Cole in the past week, said that he looks back to his best.
Maxi scored a few at the end of last season but I think overall he hasn’t been great. Maybe just took longer to settle ?
I agree about gerrard , you’d hope now at 30 he has the temperament and guile to play a more reserved role but I don’t know if it’s in his nature.
But something has to give , too many midfielders and I wouldn’t be surprised if both aqua and meireles went… A left back was probably the most urgent position required , no word insua signing a new contract either so maybe they are happy to play Johnson/Robinson /Aurelio ?
[quote=“The Runt, post: 587389”]
Would Aquilani not be a worth a shot this season?
By all accounts he was very good last year, even if it was only in Italy.
Clarke has also been full of praise for Joe Cole in the past week, said that he looks back to his best.
[/quote].
Cole is as good as gone so
Do you think it was just sales patter?
Ye forgot Poulsen too.
Hard to tell, but he is pushing on and is on a massive wage. He was more than useless last year, tho he did have injuries.
So presently, is this our best team / formation? Or would you put agger at left, Johnson back right and Skertel middle?
Pep,
Kelly, Carra, Agger, Johnson,
Lucas
Meireles
SuarezGerrardDowning
Carroll
Bench: Doni, Flanagan, Cole, Skertel,Henderson, N’Gog, Adam, Kuyt
Assuming everyone fit, I would go with this to start the season:
------------------Reina---------------------
Kelly, Carragher, Agger, Johnson
------------------Lucas---------------------
-------Gerrard--------------Adam--------
Kuyt-------------------------------Suarez
------------------Carroll--------------------
Subs: Doni, Flanagan, Skrtel, Meireles, Henderson, Downing, Maxi
I really wouldn’t be starting Adam and don’t think that formation is going to make the best use of Suarez considering the defending that would be expected of him. Second point goes for Choco’s team too.
Indeed. Liverpool seem to be trying to build a team around Carroll where they should be building it around a proven class operator.
I don’t see Suarez as being exclusively left sided in that set up - more a player with a free-ish role. The reason I selected Adam there was because he is naturally left sided and can cover the left wing giving protection to, or covering for, Johnson.