Transfer Rumours The 2015 Summer Transfer Window Thread

Jheers. I was about to do the same.

 

Ha ha ... Oh yes. Good spot

Thanks

 

http://www.thisisanfield.com/2015/06/rickie-lambert-a-transfer-target-for-west-brom-reports/

Latest rumour is Rickie to West Brom. Hope he goes somewhere he actually gets a game. He should have been enjoying his final few years playing in the PL but the scousers have ruined it so far. Still can't understand why they bought him.

 

As much as I love RL,the fault for his career downturn is due to his own play, not Liverpool.

The purchase made sense in theory. Lambert was good depth who could come off the bench almost every game to give others a rest or in case an extra attacker was needed. He could play in Cup matches and also serve as cover in case of injury. And that is how he was used mostly. And honestly, it would not surprise me if someone at Saints hadn't told him the plan was for him not to be a full-time starter for us, either.

It was the Balotelli purchase that was stupid. And that perhaps had a knock on effect of driving Lambert deeper into bench. But even then, Lambert did get a run of starts and did nothing with them. And was not particularly impressive off the bench, either. With Balotelli stinking it up and Sterling hurt there was an opportunity for him and he just didn't run with it.

 

I really disagree with you I'm afraid. He has barely had a chance to play. Rodgers is to blame.

 

He made 25 appearances, scoring twice.

Fair to say he needs to be a focal part of the team to be at his best, which he clearly never was (nor was bought to be) under BR but his considerable powers were on the slide in his last few months here, truth be told.

I just hope wherever he goes next he can have a run of games as the focal point of the attack and we can see him have one more good premiership season.

 

They really weren't. He had a tremendous final season with us.

 

He was on the way down, that was pretty clear.

I think Rickie is a bit like Vic in that the old tanker engine needs warming up for a few games before it's fully firing. No, he never really got that chance at Liverpool, but I see ISIRTP's point too.

 

I really don't think he was, and that it is clear that he was on his way down. 13 league goals, 10 assists. I still think he has it. Just my opinion, and if the consensus is otherwise then OK.

 

Fair enough Al, but for me I saw a player slowing and physically fading last season. It might all still work in his head, but the body was a lot less willing (particularly in the air).

 

Pretty sure he wasn't in our long term plans. But he'd have had far more of an impact coming off the bench for us than for Liverpool. He was never going to fit their style of play, but he would have been perfect back up for Pelle imo. Still, at least he got his season at his home town club, even if it didn't really work out. If he'd turned the offer down he would have been left wondering "what if" for the rest of his life.

 

I think that's the key. Lambert was subject to lazy general comments from the media who saw him as a traditional english CF (remember those constant comparisons to Grant Holt). He was/is so much more than that, as evidenced for me by his England appearences.

Rodgers is no tactician.

 

I thought he was good in patches, but also looked a weakened force at times too.

 

imagine Rickie playing no10 and him and Pelle lumbering into the box to receive Tadics service, it would scare most defences to death. can see him doing a great job as a no10 with a lively striker infront of him. he has fulfilled his dream of playing for pool, now GTF out of there

 

Personally I think Rickie would be a great CM. You could even argue he should take over Gerrard's role at Scousehampton: he would certainly be better at it than Henderson will be.

 

I was one of Rickie's greatest supporters when he was accused of not being good enough as that season wore down, many blamed him for most of our problems (As many blamed Pelle during the second half of this season) but there is no doubt the man was not the same physically anymore as he was. He wasn't that much slower than he used to be to me, hard to lose pace you never had, but when I started to look out for it and pay attention to it, he could hardly get off the ground like he used to when fighting against defenders, and more and more defenders got the better of him physically. One thing stuck out to me, he just didn't jump anymore, almost every time he just tried to use his positioning and his body to win the ball and sometimes he still did, but he just didn't get up and beat people in the air anymore. Thankfully he was still good enough with the ball, knew where the goal was and was a team player and I think all those things are still probably true. Though I agree he wasn't in our long-term plans, and shouldn't have been, and this was probably made clear to him.

Anyway, I watched him play a few times for Liverpool, usually as the last chance fabled 'Plan B' A.K.A. Big Lump in the Box, but even when I saw him play for an extended time I saw him make more runs in behind defenders (I would have laughed if he wasn't a legend to me) than I did towards the ball. I struggle to see what Rodgers saw in him to sign him if he wanted to use him the way they did, it really baffles me.

I think from a footballing standpoint it was a daft move for Lambert, it seemed it at the time and it seems it now, but I hope he's still happy to play for club he dreamt of and if so I can respect that. In a way I kind of hope he stays and plays what limited role he has and then retires, as otherwise he risks not succeeding at a lesser club and lowering his name more, which would be a shame to see.

 

I thought he had back trouble in his final season for us? Just to be a bit fairer to him, of those 25 appearances he was sub 18 times and played just 825 mins. That's an average of 33 mins per game. He also got 2 assists. I understand why he went with them being his home team but if you take the emotion out of it, it was never likely to be a good footballing move for him.

 

Yep. Nail on the head mate. When I said 'slowing' I didn't really mean pace as such, just an all round lethargy almost...

 

Think his body needed a rest.

I don't have exact numbers but I think in the 5 seasons he played for us which is close to 250 games, he probably only missed about 7 or 8 games.

This rest season at Liverpool could of done him good.
A lower premier league club or a championship team could get a Lambert ready for a renaissance

 

Spot on, especially the jumping. I'll also add that in the first few times I saw him play for Liverpool, I often saw him drop off the defender into a deeper spot, but no team mate saw him or chose to use him.

Love Rickie. He just needs to cherish his two goals for his boyhood team and then pretend his career finished as a Saints legend.