http://www1.skysports.com/football/...-will-not-solve-all-their-problems-in-January Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has warned that the club's struggles are unlikely to be solved in the January transfer window due to a lack of 'availability and affordability'. Rodgers' erratic debut season at Anfield continued on Saturday as Liverpool slipped to defeat against Aston Villa to leave them 12th in the Premier League. The Reds have been linked with a host of transfer targets ahead of the upcoming transfer window as they look to turn things around and climb the table, with only five points between them and fifth place. Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge and Blackpool youngster Thomas Ince are among the players thought to be on Rodgers' radar as he looks to bolster his limited attacking options. But while the boss intends to strengthen in January, he insists many of the names being linked with the club are not necessarily realistic options and does not predict a quick-fix. He told The Independent: "There is a bigger picture for sure and it goes back to affordability. "We will spend money in January to try and bring fresh faces into the group and give us that support at the top end. But the reality [about] all the names bandied about is 'Are they going to be available?' Certainly we will bring in what we can and help us and then we will revisit it again. "All our problems were never going to be solved in this window because the January window is one of the least productive and the least movement goes on there. But we will look to solve some of our problems then and then we will look to revisit it in the summer knowing that in the summer we will be better placed than the previous summer." He added: "There is no doubt we will get reinforcements in and there is no doubt that we will get the backing, but it will come down to two things. The availability and affordability of players - I see lots of names bandied about that are pie in the sky because there won't be too many top players moving about in January because clubs want top money. But there is no doubt that we want to bring in goals and we want to bring in players who can assist in scoring goals. "If we can do that then that will set us up and then we can really reinforce when the transfer market opens up in the summer again."
The problem with the January transfer window is that players value tends to go through the roof and silly, desperate bidding wars happen so I wouldn't want us spending stupid money. However we must have targets that may be available at the right price? Walcott is not everyones choice but he should be available for a cut price and would improve the squad, Sturridge again is not someone I want but he will be available and wont cost a lot. These are the 2 main names banded about so what is Rodgers on about? Even if we go Huntelaar is he really going to cost that much? I'm a bit confused with his statement, we should look to improve the squad and yes we shouldn't be spending badly but by now targets should have been identified and they should be realistic targets.
Funny while you can see logic in most of the statements he makes, you can't help but get the feeling they are not all joined up. Seem to get statements that are aspirational (2nd place), then more conservative (player availability, cost etc.), and left with a feeling that for a man with a 180 page dossier he maybe should have a better idea of what we can acheive given our resources and market availability. Starting to wonder if it is 180 pages of postit notes in a scrapbook with, must remember this, Jose` did that, don't forget the milk. I still have confidence he is taking us in the correct direction but maybe getting a little ahead of himself on occasions and a little inconsistant with ambition/reality type statements. I do wonder if the same trait is present in his coaching of the team, seem to be a few players who seem to be a little constrained and not maximising their talent on occasions while others "get it" and give it 100% (jose enrique, saurez). We will see, keep believing (oh nearly forgot the customary emotion)
Basically he's putting it out there we wont be held to randsom like we did previously in the January window.No wantaway '50mil' striker to finance our potential signings.
Yes we have to maybe give him credit and understand that this may well be what he's doing. I like the positive. I hope you are right.
Really can't be arsed pulling this statement apart too much as its so full of holes it makes Edam look likec Cheddar. The presumption that we'll be in a better position than last summer. Will we really? Fair enough the Jan transfer window is a bad time to go shopping for players. Any idiot knows that don't they? Hence some of us being so angry about the summer of **** ups. Exactly why we shouldn't have been so quick to ship out Maxi, Kuyt and Carroll. Exactly why we shouldn't go and blow £18 mill on Sturridge and Ince. This is a statement simply to dampen expectations. Sorry fans, we couldn't get the value in Jan so you'll have to wait until the summer for any squad improvements...which summer we won't tell you but one summer in the next decade we might get more right than wrong oh look...a flying pig...
I’ve always said that this transfer window is big for us, owners need to make a statement but at the same time not get butt raped again. Think Brendan is just playing it safe. I reckon we will get the majority of our targets though.
Well, I reckon sturridge will be good. Ince is basically back up. and I reckon one big surprise signing! Or am I a smuck, ya never know
I wont be happy if that happens, we need to have a certain amount of patience. Do we really want to start again and take another chance on another manager? Don't get me wrong at this time next season Rodgers will be judged on his signings and whether or not his ideas actually work.
FSG are not going to pump funds into what they see as 0 progress. Finishing somewhere down the table is a complete failure of a season for us. Yeah Brendan is changing things but he is also tasked with getting results in that time, we can't plummet down the table chasing an ideal. This is what's happening. Not just the games where we Win the passing and get picked off but also games where we don't win the passing and still get picked off. The Villa result was a joke and our current system leaves us inherently exposed to counters, defence is not a unit either and everyone seems focused on attack when we dominate possession for a spell and forget they we actually have a goal to defend. Poor technique poor vision no goals from set pieces, from one week to the next we are playing slightly different. A team and system can be far more than the sum of individuals as we know. Currently ours is less than the sum of individuals. I can see improvements in passing and a general degradation of everything else we do, even goal keeping. Agger and Skrtel are considered good payers, they have been absolutely fkn awful this year. Agger has been caught ball watching more times than I care to count. Seriously VIlla's first goal? Almost as bad as Hart's keeper impression for United's 1st v City. I am usually positive about our chances but currently the bottom line is. We could lose any game to any team home or away at any time. FSG are not willing to invest. Imagine them giving us 30m for a player and us ending up 14th. I would not invest until the summer either purely based on current progress, I would basically extend probation. We need some results as well as nice football.
