Alright, following Liverpool's recent activity I want to voice my opinions on the future of Liverpool FC. First of, players who's futures need to be considered Milan Jovanovic Made it clear he hasn't enjoyed his time at Liverpool and should be moved on as quick as possible. Joe Cole Controversial one this, for one, he does have creativity and he is English, fitting into KK's plans. I think we should offer him a new deal that would slash his wages by nearly 75%, it may be a long shot but we need to bring this lad back to reality, he isn't worth the £90,000 we are reportedly paying him per week. Offer him a neat appearance fee and a clause that may increase his wage after one year based on appearances. If not, sell him on. Christian Poulsen Don't think he has a place in the squad anymore. Sell him on. Jay Spearing No way am I going to suggest we sell him on. He has shown great determination and effort despite his 'lack of skill' which has been picked up on from a few people. He is a great player and I think he should be loaned out to a Premier League team to boost his confidence and increase his experience. An inspirational talk before and after his loan would be good and would show a repeat of his performances at the end of last season. Daniel Pacheco Showing good potential but I still feel he might not be ready just yet. Loan him out for a season to another Premier League team and we'll go from there. Jonjo Shelvey Showing good potential and should be loaned out to a Premier League team. Stephen Darby I know this lad is out on loan but we're not doing him any favours. His 22 years old and needs to either be sold or given a place in the squad. I prefer him moved on. Flanagan and Robinson Both have shown potential. I believe another season with the squad would do them good. After this they could be loaned out for experience. I wouldn't loan them straight away because I'd like to see them gel with the squad. Emiliano Insua Not a bad player. Either keep him or sell him really. He could be a quality back-up left-back but if he isn't happy with that role he should be moved on. David N'gog I think he should be moved on. He has shown potential when he first signed but I don't see it materialising. Sell him on. (PS: I'll never forget the goal against Manchester United, sealing the victory and sending Anfield through the sky, nice one) Degen and El Zhar Both should be moved on. Services not needed anymore. Degen was a kind of stop-gap and El Zhar has failed to make an impact, not blaming it on him though (Or anyone, for that matter). Meireles Good player who seems to be at the centre of gossip linking him with a move away from the club. Keep him unless a reasonable offer is made. Aquilani Like Meireles, being linked with a move away but I would prefer to keep him. Only sell him if a good offer is made. Daniel Agger Good player on the pitch. Keep him for a season and if he fails to recover from his injuries a move might be on. For now, keep him. Fabio Aurelio Good left-back who has a quality cross on him. I would only keep him on a pay-as-you-play deal or something that would see his mostly complete on appearances. If we get a decent offer, we should sell him on though. Those are all for now. I might have missed some out so if I have just let me know As for Danny Wilson and any other youngsters they should either be loaned out or kept for now. Players who should be brought in Doni Finalise the deal. His a experienced goalie who could provide quality cover for Pepe Reina. Aly Cissokho Optional really. We do have Glen Johnson to play left-back but having a natural left-footed player can only be a bonus. Showing great potential and for the reported price of around £9m he could prove value for money. Stewart Downing A £20m fee has been agreed and although pricey, could prove to be a quality signing. Not a marquee signing but does the job and provides us with width which we need. The transfer request which he submitted seemed a little hesitant because he wanted to leave Villa with their blessing but wasn't prepared to see the chance to play for Liverpool go amiss. He wants to play for us, sign him up. Juan Mata Obvious player but I think he should still be brought in along with Stewart Downing. Added depth and quality is only a good thing and if he doesn't show promise we can sell him and meanwhile play Stewart Downing. Charles N'Zogbia Quality left winger with proven Premier League experience. Agreed with Juan Mata and Stewart Downing it may be difficult to keep them all happy, but if we look to the future they could all play a part. Unspecified back-up striker Don't really know who we could sign but we will need another striker if we sell N'gog. Someone under 24 who can shoot with accuracy and power, along with the ability to header the ball and get involved in the game. Suggestions? Unspecified centre-back Someone to cover Daniel Agger or just general cover for the defence. Sakho and Dann come to mind, although Sakho has said he won't move this summer, but knows his future destination. (Damien Commoli's links anyone?) I think signing cover/possible rotation candidates in Juan Mata, N'Zogbia and a centre back would give us depth and quality which would be good to have. I also understand I've picked quite a few players in same positions. Don't forget we are aiming for the top four and we must think of the future. We are also going to be competing in the FA Cup and Carling Cup. Quality players in these competitions could see us lift a trophy which would increase confidence in the squad. Final squad (Prefferable) - Reina Rodriguez N'Zogbia Carragher Agger Skrtel Kyrgiakos Kelly Johnson Suarez Gerrard Carroll Henderson Aquilani Meireles Adam Insua Cissokho Downing Mata Doni Kuyt Unspecified centre-back Unspecified back-up striker Spearing (Loaned out) Shelvey (Loaned out) Pacheco (Loaned out) If I have missed out anyone in the 'final squad' list let me know. Formations I don't believe we should have ONE formation. It should be all based on players we have available, morale, form etc. Yes, a little Football Manager style but we can't play Suarez if his not happy and showing poor form (God forbid) 3-5-2 Good formation if we want to show off our attacking side but I don't think its a good idea against the 'stronger' teams, unless we play two wing-backs rather than two defensive midfielders. 4-4-2 (Traditional) Always a good shout, a balanced formation which could provide good attacking creativity and defensive cover with the right mix of players. 4-4-2 (Diamond) Although it can prove to be beneficial, at times it can be a pain for the central players to cover so much width, unless the two wide players give 'em a hand. 4-3-3 I'd love to see this, would really be interesting to see maybe Lucas, Gerrard and Charlie Adam making up the midfield. Again, apologies if I have missed anything out, I'll amend it if I have. Starting XI for first game (Versus Sunderland) GK: Jose Manuel Pepe Reina RB: Glen Johnson CB: Jamie Carragher CB: Daniel Agger LB: Aly Cissokho Allow the full-backs to attack according to the situation. RCM: Steven Gerrard (Box to box midfielder, playing an attacking role) CDM: Lucas Leiva (Cover for defence, unlikely to push forward) LCM: Charlie Adam (Deep lying playmaker who can support the attack) RW: Luis Suarez ST: Andy Carroll LW: Stewart Downing Substitutions: GK: Doni CB: Kelly (Can play across the back four, quality cover) LB: Insua (Give him a chance) CM: Aquilani RW: Jordan Henderson LW: Mata ST: Unspecified back-up striker I'm not saying we would play this team every game, but for the first game it would be good to slowly intregrate the new signings rather than bung them all in. Three signings is a good balance and with eight other players who have previously played for the club in the mix it could help them settle in. Philosphy Transfers - Current FSG strategy, young talent with a mix of experience, british is a bonus. A mix of grit, determination with a hint of flair, creativity and technical ability. Short term target(s) - Gain a spot in the top four. Maybe push for an automatic Champions League qualification place (3rd and above). Gel the squad and only keep players who want to play at the club. Challenge for the FA and Carling Cup honours although not mandatory. Long term target(s) - Mount a serious title challenge, and challenge for future honours. Create a sustainable team, including youth academy involvement and key marketing strategies to increase revenue. Consider building a new stadium and selling the naming rights to help cover some costs. Avoid hurting the club's reputation or tradition. Football style/philosphy - Attractive, 'total' football. Sometimes physical and complete determination to succeed. Future coaching staff - Offer senior players coaching roles at the club to build experience and knowledge of life after playing days. Experience and tradition could be key to future success of the club. NOTE: I am not suggesting we should buy ALL the players I have mentioned, I am giving my opinion on the options we have. It would be stupid for me to sit here and expect N'Zogbia to sit in the stands whilst we play but if we consider injuries, suspensions, rotations etc he would be likely to see quite a few games. Remember, we need depth and quality in not just our starting XI but our squad as a whole.
You've covered a lot here. Fair play. Good point on Joe Cole. If we do offer him a deal on less wages, I can't see it being accepted. If it does, Joe Cole would go up in my estimation. Agreed on most of your points regarding players coming in apart from N'Zogbia. If we got Downing and Mata, I can't see us going for N'Zogbia. Expect him to end up at either Newcastle, Villa or Sunderland. Can't really argue with the other points you have made. Message to a mod: I think this thread should be made into an article.
Ive read a few posts regarding potential targets for the starting season...but im curious if the likes of Scott Dann & Oxford-Chamberlain(sp) might be plausible signings in the january window.Of course this would be dependant on their respective positions in the tables of the teams they are playing for? Some food for thought? Nice detailed post above - Repped
Nice thread. I think Cole will have another year. I have a feeling he will do well next season. I have know idea why!
Agreed on the Joe Cole point and as for N'Zogbia, its a controversial one. I only would sign him on of the Mata/Dowing deals didn't pull off. Thanks for the feedback Chris. PS: Nice work on the pre-season match thread and analysis Thanks! Thanks for the heads up Interesting point, but I'm sure Arsenal would have snapped up Chamberlain and Scott Dann is unlikely to go this summer without a move aswell. Too many clubs interested in them at this point and it would only increase as the season progresses. Thanks for the feedback I have a feeling too, I hope his worth it!
Good article Can only really see us signing one of Mata/Downing/N'Zogbia and its going to be Downing even though I think most people would have liked Mata considering the price we're paying for Downing. Still think a front three of Downing, Carroll and Suarez could be devestating though. Definitely need a new LB and CB before the start of the season. Could give youth a chance at LB but would like a decent CB who has a couple of first team seasons under their belt. As for a back up striker, I can see Dirk possibly filling that role on the bench?
Agreed about Downing. Aly Cissokho would be great for left-back and if that happens maybe play Kelly in the back-up CB position and play Johnson on the right. Kuyt would be back-up on the bench but I reckon four good strikers are required to cement a top four finish. Thanks mate. Glad you enjoyed it
it's well writen alright. i can't agree with about half of it but in the end that just opinion isn't it. I would point out a dose of reality. you can't treat people like you suggest we treat cole. nor can we as a club do all this business in one window. Also I'd like to know just where these prem clubs are that will take and play our young lads on loan. sturridge and welbeck are exceptions. that said i think the positions and players mentioned have done the rounds many times so i think most would agree with areas we need to be stronger in. the same can be said for the formations, kenny is well known for it. the only suprise for me is soto krygiakos is not in anyones sell list. we had him take up a contract offer by law BUT he's old, he's dead slow and he's unfit so i don't expect to see very much of him at all this season. I hope this makes sense, like i said its well constructed and set out, i'm just pointing out my opinion
and i'll add... exactly the quality of thread this forum needs and i also enjoyed reading even if i did'nt agree with everything
Thanks I have to agree about Joe Cole and I think its best we sell him on because it would be disrespectful to offer a 75% wage cut. The loaned out players can go to the newly promoted Prem teams/top Championship teams to gain experience. Daniel Pacheco was loaned out to Norwich City for some time at the end of last season and I reckon they'd be likely to take him back if we offered. I agree about formations, I was a little sceptical when I was writing it because I know it can be difficult to get it right, but I'm sure KK will do a great job with it Soto, he is old, he does have issues, but if we sold him we'd possibly need another centre-back, unless we definetly signed a left-back, put Glen Johnson as right back, and then moved Martin Kelly to a back-up centre back position. Constructive critism welcome mate, no problem at all Thanks I know I have written quite a few transfers in there but most of it is just strengthening. At minimum I'd expect us to sign a centre-back, Stewart Downing and another striker if we sell N'gog. Edit - Thanks mate, ChrisWood2894 is starting to make a few quality ones too so keep an eye out for his articles. I might write up another one soon depending on what situation we find ourselves in
Soto simply isn't good enough and he should be sold. He is spirited but it does not compensate the lack of quality. I would really like Scott Dann to come in this summer. Soto, Aurelio, Carra are over 30 so we need a younger and experienced CB to come in. Using FSG's strategy of good, english talent, Scott Dann seems to fit the bill perfectly.
IMO - I don't think we need to buy another striker. We now have Henderson, Suarez, Maxi, Cole, Downing who can operate on the wings. I think Kuyt's appearances will be limited this season and I would prefer it he was the back up striker. He becomes a completely different player when he plays up front - his movement, link up play, holding up can be very useful and not to forget his important goals.
Agreed. I was thinking we should sign someone similair to Scott Dann this summer and look to a back-up left-footed cetre-back next summer for Daniel Agger, possibly Sakho Edit - But we'll be playing two strikers per match, if one of them is hit with a long term injury Kuyt would step in to the first team, but we'd then need a good subsitute striker to cover Kuyt's bench position. Saying that, I doubt Kuyt will be benched, in reality, you just can't bench a guy who puts so much effort into his game.
I think moreinjuredthanowen is right: a dose of reality needed. Offer Cole a new deal? Why just him? Let's do it with everybody and get the wage bill down. What are the chances? Pacheco is starting to look like the new Babel. Ngog has done better for us but you'll ship him out quick-smart. I don't get it. I think you've outlined academically where we are and summarised general feeling among fans on most issues but your article is missing Ze's analytical skills.
