Will we ever be a top performing club again?

All big clubs have good scouting systems, its up to us to be better than them. Financially we can't compete with the big hitters like Man Utd, R.Madrid. Barca, Chelsea, City & Bayern so we have to work smarter than them.

Obviously Reus & Hummels wouldn't cost that now, but we need to find players with their equivalent profile at the time and they probably would.

Martial cost so much because he was French (and played for a pretty rich club). Youngsters from less fancied nations do not go for prices that high, clubs like Udinese actually identify "underrated" footballing nations and sign players from there because they cost significantly less even if they have equal amount of talent to someone from a top tier football nation. The owners have brought that strategy over to Watford and its worked pretty well for them.

 

Young hungry player who want to help the club get back to the top.

We we can still match or better wages when comparing to every other European team bar the big 3 but do we want to be signing players who demand 150kna week? Maybe we need a couple but we should be trying to find those players on the cusp of grratness. Look at our best signings over last 5-10 years. Suarez, Torres, Alonso, Mascherano, they were at decent clubs and we're looking for the next step. Those are the ones we should be after. Obviously easier said than done, but picking up the best players abroad who are floating around the Europa places.

 

Who knows where Klopp will take us - what I do know is that we have a top class manager in charge, the first since Rafa left the club. Lo and behold, we reach two cup finals.

I've seen enough evidence of progress this seasons for me to believe that Klopp will get us back to being competitive.

He's also given the players and fans belief going into the new season - we're more united than we were under Rodgers, where therewas so much division and conflict. Fans are united, and the 'committee' and manager are now singing from the same sheet.

 

Has he?

I still feel as flat as a pancake and totally demotivated.

 

Kenny got us to 2 cup finals jimmy.

 

Of a European competition?

Kenny also spunked money on dross as well.

Klopp hasn't ... Yet

 

I agree with that, his enthusiasm for the game has lifted me I believe we have the right man in charge. It doesn't mean we'll be right at the top straight away but he's taken us close to winning things already, hopefully that next step will be soon.

I'm interested to see if he brings in the right players now, so players who give a ****, players who want to work.

 

This is important.

We need a couple of warriors.

A couple of nasties who will fight when required.

 

A few key signings for Klopp to shape into his own 1st 11, clear out the donkeys, no euro footie, ignore the league cup, and I reckon you guys can be top 4 contenders.

 

We certainly lack that edge, we also lack players who can cover ground quickly. Milner and Hendo are 2 examples, they will run but just don't cover the ground quickly the ball is gone by the time they get to the man. We then have Allen who'll get there but is weak in the tackle. Can will fight but I feel he's the one who needs protection and players around him to do the donkey work, he's better when he holds the midfield area and is on the ball.

So many talking points after the final, it was clear that a lot of theat team are not up to the task.

 

Agree with that other than the cup comment we should be able to handle 2 domestic cups with the squad we have.

 

If you discount the new contract for Migs.

 

The simple answer to the OP is............................







YES





watched a documentary on Klopp before the final. His journey from a Mainz player to Liverpool manager. What was utterly clear is that At both Mainz and Dortmund, the owners, players and fans loved him and STILL love him. I told my mate about this and he said that is the way the Liverpool players feel about him already.

BELIEVE

 

Every club has potential to be a top performing club, it's all about consistency. We get second one season then a season of 7th and 8th.

We just need to spend wisely and strengthen the team.

 

This league is so open that anyone who hits consistency and a really good team spirit can do well. Top spending sides can struggle if without that team ethos. Look at city and Chelsea, it is clear that they didn't gel although they had very good and expensive squads.

We have played well in the cups retrieving poor away performances. But in the league you can't do that, losing 3 points frequently and we've been inconsistent although we've had some good matches too. We have to perform consistently in the league and instead of transforming wins into defeats or draws we've got to win.

2, 7 and 8 look very mediocre. But confident that this trend can be reversed. The target must be the title and top 4 minimum. Those who say this is unrealistic: Leicester anyone?

 

The league is returning to what it used to be before the Sky and CL era kicked in i.e. genuinely competitive throughout.

Last season wasn't just a fluke, Leicester winning the thing showed that the gap has significantly closed, West Ham, Soton also got in amongst the supposed elite. United, Liverpool and Chelsea - 3 of the 'nailed on' CL sides only a decade ago, didn't make the top 4, despite having massive budgets.

Why? Because the rest used their vastly increased spending power to better effect and built actual teams, as opposed to collections of disjointed mercenaries.

Even after last season, the same pundits who predicted Leicester would be relegated last August, are still predicting that the 'big clubs' will bounce back to the fore next season. They've not grasped the fact that the dynamic has been altered, and the further vast increase in TV cash this summer, alters it yet further.

Whether you get back challenging again is down to Klopp and how he now assembles a team. Can he build a side capable of a sustained challenge? We'll see.

 

Actually hope all this is true. Money makes clubs lazy...especially if they think it keeps a majority of the rest of the league behind them.

I think however it might lead to a continuing struggle for qualifying teams to fight in all comps or even both CL and PL while the PL insists on keeping it's size or no mid winter break format.

Might be a blessing in disguise as less money grabbing headliners will Swan in for the cheque.

 

before sky era.... competitive?

ermmmmmm.... i dunno about that... one team dominated I know a really small team did win a title in the mid 80s...

I don't agree on the gap thing. I really believe it was a fluke and the big teams really let themselves down. Yes Leicester deserved it but.... in short arsenal have been not pushing hard for years, city utterly imploded and utd under achieved... cheslea god knows why they did what they did...

Yes everyone has spending power.. sure but all thats doing is meaning lots of players get huge amount of money and the hunger drops IMO...

you wish the dynamic has been altered. the rich hare mega rich. they've 250k per week to give while those clubs you've mentioned can pay 100k to a couple guys.

this is very much like blackbrun in 1994/1995. just cos one club disrupted it doesn't mean they will do it again.

I'm sure we'd all like to feel our club (as i put LFC on same level as everton here) can break into that big boy grouping but cheslea will have to do work to get back. city WILL power on. Utd WILL spend hugely and kick on. Arsenal WILL do what they do.... will spurs keep cheslea's divine right spot? maybe... will west ham or southampton... no they wont.

Some clubs aim to win 4 cups... some just aim to get to top 4 and dump cups.... some aim for 40 points.. thats not changed.

 

true. I agree with this..... you can do a spurs and deliberately weaken your side in cups and not care and boast about your league position then suddenly go... oh... we blew up.. why cos we don't have a winning mentality.

The level of pressure and expectation at city is worlds away from spurs or west ham.... LFC have unrealistic expectations I believe are higher than spurs but not matched by the finances

IF everyone pays 100k then fine but when a player can get 200k or 300k down the road theres still a gap. The issue IMO at city was it wasn't 5 guys who are stars and expected to give ronaldo and messi levels... they gave EVERYONE huge wages to come and they never formed a team and half the players like bony, sinclair etc etc etc were ****es who just loved the money.

 

Agree with MITO - the smaller clubs have improved but the big clubs have been poor for some while. You only have to look at English clubs in European competitions to see how poor they've become.

At one point, you had the likes of United, Chelsea and Liverpool getting to semi's and finals regularly.

The PL now has Klopp, Conte, Pep, Mourinho and of course Wenger. Seriously talented managers.