A lot has been made of our transfers, the club brought in a number of British players including Carroll, Henderson, Downing and Adam. Was this a wise move? Some Liverpool supporters would jump straight in and say no. However the new rules for a 25 man squad need to be considered. Clubs must register a squad of up to 25 players, which must include at least eight 'home-grown' players, at the end of each transfer window. Home-grown players do not have to be English; home-grown players are defined as those who "irrespective of nationality or age, have been affiliated to the FA or Welsh FA for a period of three seasons or 36 months prior to 21st birthday" So was buying in a group of British players a good move? I don't think the likes of Downing, Henderson, Carroll and Adam are good enough at the moment but I am happy with them as squad players and the younger 2 may well improve. We also seem to have a good bunch of youngsters coming through but we cannot rely on that happening, it's a big step up and not many make it. We have a good squad at the moment and fit into these new rules very easily, I also agree with most that we need to buy quality this Summer more than quantity and that these players don't have to be British. We paid over the odds for the players we bought last season no arguments there, but they have given us a good base to build from.
I dont think they were necessarily bad transfers. I think Henderson and Carroll could be great for us in the long term. Henderson was maybe thrown in at the deep end a bit. Adam was good when played with Lucas, and he can put a good ball in the box. He just needs disciplining against Hollywood passes. In the last few months Downing has been better, getting past full backs and putting some decent crosses in. Downing is always great for England. So I think he could come good still. He needs a bit more comosure in the box though.
25 Man squad with the rules taking away players that we are likely to sell. * for classed as British. 1. Reina * 2. Jones * 3. Doni 4. Enrique * 5. Agger * 6 .Skrtel * 7. Johnson * 8. Coates 9. Robinson * 10.Gerrard * 11. Adam * 12. Henderson * 13. Downing * 14. Sterling * 15. Carroll * 16. Suarez 17. Bellamy * 18. Kelly * 19. Lucas * 20. Coady * 21. Wisdom * 22. Teixeira 23. Shelvey * 24. Flanagan * 25. Suso Youth players like Robinson, Flanagan, Wisdom, Suso etc dont have to be registered so it gives us plenty of scope to bring in foreign players while still easily covering the rules.
I think the players bought have improved the squad depth but the quality of the starting XI has decreased. These players are good for the squad but we definately need to bring in players who can slot straight into the first team.
I agree, it's a strong squad that just needs a couple of quality players adding to it. Buying those players will then mean that the likes of Downing and Adam will be playing for the shirt.
British/ home grown means they were at a British club for at at least three years between the ages of 16 and 21. So basically, players developed in Britain. Reina, Agger, Skrtel and Lucas dont count. I'm not sure on Enrique. We never signed Texeira either. Henderson, Kelly, Coates and any one younger count as under 21 to, and dont count as the 25 man squad. But yes, we do still have plenty of room to bring in foreign players.
We signed Joao Carlos Teixeira who's 19. I think British players are over-priced on the negative side but on the positive they're used to the league so should settle quicker - in theory - However, our new British players haven't settled in yet. What happened to the 'moneyball' policy?
Hopefully out the window and forgotten now that Comolli has gone. Back to the usual scouting of players who'll fit the team, not a spreadsheet. I think that, although a generalisation, a team in the PL needs some kind of British backbone behind it - passion and steel. Players who understand the importance of the league, who know the rivalries, opposition players and media. Obviously, you can buy gems who step across the culture differences and slot in perfectly but they're few and far between (think Yaya or Silva most recently) and usually take time to settle. If you just buy players from abroad, it's easy to lose that spine ('sup arsenal?) and struggle (alternatively, consider City when Yaya and Kompany weren't available). We have a really good spine to our team with Reina/Agger/Skrtel who've played here for many years now and know the club and league, along with Kelly/Hendo/Carroll who are our next crop of british players to make the first team - possibly Spearing/Shelvey but they need more bedding time. Point is, we have that spine, we need to add the flair to merge. I doubt we'll be looking at many british based players this summer.
One of the problems is the rest of the league doesn't wait while we start to re-build. This season has pretty much been a write off, cup win aside. Next season we see how good Kenny's signings really are. The game is (and has been for a while) based on impatience. Lose 4/5/6... games in a row - sack the manager. One bad game - drop the player. Several bad games - sell him! I have been shouted down for saying that the older generation (to which I belong) seem more patient - nothing to do with Kenny being a hero/can do no wrong, more like give it a bit more time. I never thought that the best outcome of our season would be to finish above Everton
I agree with you to some extent. A lot of fans believe that our brand/club/image is enough to attract the better players. But another year without competing for major honours is another year where our appeal will decline. Forest won the European Cup in the 70's or 80's yet you don't see many talented players queuing up to play for them. My point is, how long will it take before potential signings will forget about our history/brand? We can only use this as a selling point for so long. For this reason, I can see why fans want a change of manager ASAP.
It's important to have an British spine/influence, but buying simply because they are British is foolish.
