I said before the game: For a while it looked that way - we were totally dominant (notwithstanding the fact that we always offer a chance or two), but wasting a lot of opportunities. If it had gone past the hour mark at 0-1 I'd have started to feel concerned, but once the tide turned I was confident, and we've won so many points from losing positions this season. And the front three all got a goal in the end.
I'm just buzzing we've launch another good un. that kid is a real hard worker and has done a Gerrard. shot up in height all of a sudden and is just ripping it up. all 3 in the u18s are.
another game another debutant. we are now into the under 18s squad so baby Reds 23/24 is out the door and 24/25 has 5 orn6 more thst could be good.
Good three points given who was missing. Joe was my MoTM. Elliott deserved a goal as he buzzed about and never stopped trying. Macca had a fine game too. What else can be said about Bradley? And the Ninja ****ing rocked.
i know its "only" a game against a team favoured for the drop but. Player -Age - Cost Kelleher 25 - 0 Bradley 20 - 0 Quansah 21 - 0 VVD 32 - 75 Gomez 26- 3 Endo 31 18 Macallister 25 - 35 Gravenberch 21 -35 Elliott - 20- 4 Daiz 27 - 50 Gakpo 24 45 Now, if you put on a 30 year old LB but then add two 19 year olds then an 18 year old and still win well thats pretty good. Clark cost 1.5mil Mcconnell was about 0.8mil max Danns is a local product having come in at age 8 from tranmere where his father is coach. This is virtually unheard of in the prem, this is ajax level of youth flow. For a top 6 side to have kids sprouting out of thin air like this is absolutely unheard off since arsenal under wenger in 2005/06 timing or 1992 as we never hear the end of at utd. Inglethorpe has done some job at the academy but the move to kirkby seems to have accelerated the links between senior and academy as designed. Thats the best value 50million investment our club has ever made. As for "real local" youf we would now have seen Trent, jones, morton, danns, Davies and while quansah is actually form Warrington but been training at the club since age 5. Kelleher was brought in as a 16 year old from Ireland Mcconnell came from sunderland Gordon came from Derby. Doak from Celtic Scanlon from Birmingham Kone Doherty from Derry Nyoni from leicester (klopps holding on before debuting him, maybe in fa cup imo) Bajcetic form Celta vigo Beck has move round clubs as a kid we got him from stoke Bradley from Dungannon NI clark from newcastle pitaluga form brazil mrozek from Wroclaw in poland nallo from west ham morrisson form man utd We should also be looking out for guys like Koumas, Blair, pinnington, Figueroa, ewing, lucky, davidson, chambers. The academy transfer policy has been nothing short of amazing. People don't seem to give it much attention as the boys are hidden away and one or two might get a game but whoever is doing the scouting and signing are turning up some amount of players! Last summer we were all saying yeah we need a RB, Yeah we need a CB what are we going to do. Well we have them. this summer i'd be saying we need a 6 and a RW. maybe we do. But theres a player in Bajcetic and theres 5 or 5 forwards (the most i can ever recall form any academy era) that might get a game. If harvey elliott can play forward like he did last night then theres space for an 8 and theres a few kids there too. LFC? Ajax? Maybe FSGs long long term strategy for the club is only coming to light now 14 years later?
I've always seen Elliott as a 10 or head of a diamond 4. He never hides. He changes games when he comes on. He was hit-and-miss in the first half last night, but so were a lot of the team. He's in integral part of what we are trying to do moving forward. And last night's formation freed Macca to do what Macca does best. That was pleasing. We're beginning to show some variations on our previously rigid 4-3-3. Amen to that.
I think the academy is getting there and starting to see players interested which is brilliant. If you can get 2/3 every couple seasons into the squad it saves money that you can then spend 60m on 1 position to make a huge difference rather than splitting that 60m into 3 20m signings to bulk up the squad. Is say the next step is to see the academy start making money. we’re not going to get 3 first teamers through every year but we should be looking at getting those not quite good enough decent loans to champ clubs (like started doing with Blackburn recently) and then being able to sell those players for 10-20m plus sell ons. Only have to look at how much money chelsea and city academy players are making for them and it’s 100% profit. The academy is there to produce first team players but if can’t do that it has to be making some money by selling on. That then gives motivation that join our academy and you’ll get great chance of a career at lfc and if not you’ll get a great career at another club after being moved on rather than just drop off into nothing.
I don't really think we want that. of course not every player can play for LFC when we've a 25 man senior squad but our aim is not to dodge FFP like chelsea by flogging kids. We have done well with morton and others like beck and a couple other shave gone to scotland but we are buying or paoching these kids with a view to the progression within. I do find the profile we look for doesn't suit the lower league clubs and physicality is not that important. Pace yes, but being a big brute is not really what we look for. In the end selling academy players is the last resort for us not the first turn to action to meet FFP as the fee is pure ffp profit. I'd like us to have a better loan system to generate more players quicker but in the end most of the players we send out on loan so far have not been up to it. this crop of kids that have all come in over the past 4/5 years are only now ready for loan so hopefully we see less rhys williams type loans.
He's not fast enough for RW at the highest level game but once he goes forward (and needs to get that consistent mentality) then he's useful. Be it a 10 or an 8 its the instinct 1 to go forward, play forward that's vital imo. what I liksed last night was a real captain showing from robertson who went onto the pitch at HT not down the tunnel and put the arm round elliott and really gave him a geeing up as the crowd were not that good to him. Whatever klopp then said the lad was at his best showing for the season in the second half. Senior players bring on young players. Robertson doing that shows us that while milner was good he is now replaced and thats crucial. Henderson was a good captain in one way. Virgil is a different personality but can do that role but you need deputies like robertson and salah and others who show the dedication and work but also that leadership. This is why the team doesn't give up.
thats ref was so so poor. he's bought a guy stopping and waving his arms and luton started just doing it all the time then and he kept indulging it. To compare what gomez got booked for to what barkely got booked for is obscene.
It's all very positive. Everyone knows their role and as Klopp said, they just needed a reminder at half time to forget the end result for now and just play our game. Considering the average age and number of players out, it was a very mature and professional performance. Love what I'm seeing right now.
How is selling players dodging ffp? Selling players has been how we’ve run for the last X amount of years so no idea what that means. You don’t like chelsea and city but selling academy players for a profit is a great way to make money on a player you don’t need and adding sell on clauses is even better. It’s not ‘dodging ffp’ it’s maximising profits. City sold Lavia for £15m and then got another £6m or so from saints when he was sold to Chelsea. 20m for a player they didn’t need and want. Would you rather we just let every 21 year old that isn’t breaking into first team leave on a free transfer? Absolute ridiculous argument.
