Aldridge...? Beardsley...? Both in 1987! Also, we signed Ian Rush in 1988 too Fowler replaced Ian Rush as well so there wasn't a gap as such.
Rushie II wasn't AS good as Rushie I - still a good player. Fowler was a youth player. Yes, we had good strikers in Fowler and Owen- but it had been 20 years since we had a top-class striker transfer before Torres... little need for one since we had Owen and Fowler... but still. Aldo was good! Forgot about him.
The first Rushie stint was between 80 & 87 so during in very successful time. The second stint was 88 to 96, the last five or six season of that we were ****
Personally I don't think Riise or Arbeloa were ever really 'top class'. I'd say they were good players, but they weren't stand out or exceptional in any way.
Not sure they were to be honest. Johnson at his best was better than Arbeloa, even though he's been pretty poor for the last year or so. And I wouldn't say there's much separating Enrique & Riise apart from sentiment and nostalgia.
Brendan Rodgers has outlined the next stage in his development of the Liverpool squad â recruiting players with the recognisable quality to compete at Champions League level. The Reds secured a return to the elite stage of European club football with three fixtures to spare, before ultimately claiming second place in the Barclays Premier League. Relentless in his pursuit of perfection, however, the manager was already thinking ahead to the summer transfer window within hours of the campaign finale. "For me, it's about planning," said Rodgers, the League Managers Association's Manager of the Year. "We have the core of the squad now. "Two years ago, when I came in, I was looking to introduce new ideas but a lot of the players weren't there because of the European Championship. "That affected the start of the season. At least this summer we have the principles bedded in place and the players that come in will be the profile we want. It should be better for us this summer. "I don't want to put a figure on how many but I would rather have one or two absolute top players than seven that might not help us. "It's about the quality. We can't be going into the Champions League this year with doubts about players. We have to be going in knowing what the players' capacity to play is and their capabilities." With stars from around the world - including a strong contingent from Liverpool - now switching their focus to the World Cup in Brazil, the boss considers preparation to be crucial. The Northern Irishman added: "Ideally you would want to get things done beforehand but it is difficult because transfers are so complex. "The World Cup does make it difficult but the club and ourselves have been preparing for quite a few months now so we will try and get the business done as early as we can." http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/latest-news/162902-rodgers-what-i-want-to-do-this-summer
