Again who is actually surprised by this? Aspas enough? Maybe not but the questions already been asked: other than gambling like KD & Comolli did and overpaying for players and giving them high wages before kicking a ball; what would you do to attract players who believe they should be playing European competition football and earning 70k a week that they should come to a team that isn't? For the life of me I can't think of a thing? Our grand history? To players barely born during it? Talk directly to their dads who might remember? Why on earth would BR and FSG risk the same tactic that ended with a manager sacked and 100ml give or take down the drain? So we did what we could: Collected players as good or marginally better than what we had on half the wages so either: BR will get, in his 2nd year his system working, convert chances into goals & points and move slowly but surely up the table; eventually able to attract star players and able to dump unsuccessful ones for less horror than the money lost on a Carroll or Downing... Do an arsenal and tread water in relatively the same position accumulating funds from saved wages so we can offer carefully selected "star" players the bigger deals in a couple of years... But by all means someone suggest the alternatives to gambling money we don't have.....
Fixed (you can't count Henderson in one but not the other, we had him at the start of both) I think both areas have clearly improved actually. Coutinho is better than anything we had at the start of last year, Sterling is a year older and wiser as is Allen. Alberto, Aspas and Ibe are improvements on Shelvey, Downing and Suso respectively IMO.
look i have proposed the theory we are selling to buy and i got some stick for daring to say it. I am not jumping up and down at any name linked nor if that link turns out unsuccessfully. However there is one thing that is for sure... no matter who the manager is they only get a short time to build something. right now rodgers has 2/3 decent players plus one wantaway star. that's top 4 quality. if he doesn't deliver those players will go. there is no such thing as treading water and holding station. you improve or you go down. I listed 6 teams who improved only yesterday and got called a pessimist and negative by RHC. If lfc don't keep improving faster than players leave they will go down hill. I've no issue with choices made with lfc, the only issue i've raised is how reina was treated and how that would put off a lot of players... again got pilloried for it.
As you have mentioned, we're starting this season with Sturridge and Coutinho. No coincidence that form picked post January transfer window last season when these two arrived. And as we have already seen, both played a big part in our win against Stoke. Another big plus point is that we don't have Downing in our attack anymore - he's been replaced with Aspas - a player who is more suited to our team and going by pre-season and the Stoke game, looks like a massive improvement on Downing. I still feel that we're two top class players away from mounting a serious challenge - a defensive player, and an attacker. No doubt that we've tried to get them in - Papa is obviously a massive target for us and we will wait until we're comfortable with his fitness.
Frank also alluded to the fact that we're not a massive team anymore - we don't have that draw and cannot keep referring to our wonderful past to attract players. So what can we do? - Find the gems in Coutinho and Sturridge. Players who have good experience and potential but failed to kick on. And purchase them at knock down prices. - Established, top class players and offer them inflated wages to lure them. - Hire a world renowned SD (e.g. Van Gaal, Cruyff) whose name alone will attract players.
Aspas reminds me or a "slightly" technically better Dirk and which LFC player didn't Love Dirk? Lets not belittle our team because we haven't made a "Marque" signing (yet). Ming Johnson, Agger, Toure, Enrique (or new Left back who's surname I can't spell has been signed, pictures of him training with the team). Gerrard, Lucas (who looked bloody good and getting back to his best against Stoke) Aspas AKA Spanish Dirk, Ford, Suarez (if he stays) Sturridge FFS people thats a decent first team which, with a bit of luck with Injuries and bookings we should be able to field more often than not this season. We can still call upon the likes of Wisdom, Kelly, Ibe, Sterling, Henderson, Allen, Borini, Alberto and Skrtel and Coates if not sold/replaced. Glass half full!
Have I mised something. There are no reports saying Willian has actually signed for Spurs? This all seemed to start from Ben Smith reports, (which are generally bollocks and anti Pool.) Lets just see what happens
Agreed, Plus the atmosphere is good, the team is young and little has been shelled out. I think we will do okay this season whether we bring in Willian or not
Di Marzio is saying that we're after Lamela. Can't see us getting him if Spurs are in for him (Baldini connection). Would be great if we did land him though!
I have said that aspas' main benefit is positivism.... going forward, wanting to create, not being fearful. I think he's a benayuon type signin rather than a top signing but will be most useful for us.
Liverpool are set to win the race to sign Derby's highly-rated Will Hughes, with the club set to bid £6m this week. Hughes is regarded as one of the brightest prospects in the country and Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United have also been linked with him. At only 18, he has almost made 50 appearances for the Derby first-team. Rodgers sent his scout to watch Hughes during England U21s win over Scotland last week. Derby have always maintained that they want to keep the player, but manager Nigel Clough confessed over the weekend that he might go if the price is right. "There is interest but at the moment nothing is happening with Will," said Clough. "But at the end of the transfer window anything can happen." Hughes still has three years left on his contract at Derby after he signed an extension last summer. He is also a boyhood Liverpool fan, showing support for the club numerous times on his twitter account.
I don't doubt that, I'm sure another glorious 6/7th place will be in store. But to get 4th we have to have a better squad than spurs and Arsenal, and we don't. A few big names would have put us well in the mix. and we have a big negative net spend, when even clubs like ****ing cardiff and southampton are spending £20/30m
