Hi guys Reading on the board it seems opinions are mixed on our current plight - from quietly positive, to complete doom and gloom. Here is how I see it - how do you? The reality in my opinion is mixed. Positive - We do have some good youngsters in Sterling, Suso, Wisdom, Kelly and Morgan (maybe Shelvey if he shapes up). Who, in time, will be good for us. - We are still alive - that wasn't certain not long ago and is why i'm still giving the owners the benefit of the doubt. I don't feel like they are shafting us and genenuinly think they're in it for the long term. What they need to realise is that progression won't occur until they invest a bit. It won't just "happen". - Allen. I like him, but he needs some quality around him. - Suarez is good. But again needs some quality next to him. - I do quite like Rodgers and like the way he does (says) things and he needs time. We just need some improvement please! - Can't think of much else! Negative - We have not replaced those we got rid of and that is criminal. You just can't do that. We struggled to score with the likes of Kuyt, Maxi and big Andy. Yet they are gone and we have either replaced them with young guys not ready (Borini), inexperienced midfielders who have barely played (Assaidi, Sahin), and missed out on a goalscorer alltogether. - The loss of Bellers. Not mentioned much but was very important for us last year, scoring and general play. Again not replaced. - There are no goals in the team. None seem capable of smashing one out of nowhere like the likes of Riise could. Even Gerrard doesn't anymore. - Poor, paper thin squad. Very little options - you cannot, and should not be forced to rely on those from the academy. We should be blending them in - not relying on them. - Players out of form. How many players do we have in their prime - in form? JC is past it, Gerrard bar the United game has been poor, Agger has been average, Skrtel very poor, Jose very poor, Reina very poor (what happened to him?!), Downing is Downing, Henderson has been better - but nothing to shout about. I don't want to criticise Borini because he is young, but he's been poor too. Johnson is useless in a team that isn't performing. We've known that for a while. He's okay going forward, but sulks, and gets caught out at the back. - Suarez. We are still feeling the effects of the whole affair. It is clear that everyone hates us and refs are more than happy go with public and FA opinion. Suarez diving constantly really isn't helping the cause either. He badly needs to work on his finishing which, bar the odd really good long range effort, is poor. We need a poacher next to him so Suarez can do the hard work. - Owners not coughing up 2 million. Read of that what you will! How do you see it? What are your opinoins? Where do we go from here?
Judging from what I have heard on the radio and TV highlights I think you have said it yourself. There is a lack of all round quality! Hope you guys start to improve as it looks odd with Manchester City near the top and LFC near to bottom!!
I know - how things have changed! Think we need some investment quick - but who do we buy? Who would want to come?
I'm a SFC fan! Managed to sign Ramirez and the guy oozes class. There's also a top notch lad from Liverpool, Rickie Lambert! You guys need real class. When Barca tire of him, the maestro Xavi, who is still a youngster compared to Paul Scholes. And better!! He's also younger than Pirlo who seems to be doing OK with Juve. Be patient and then I'd target him.
I detect a hint of sarcasm! Yes Ramierz is quality - as you know, we were in for him. God knows who we'll buy. I reckon Saints might just stay up - maybe Lamber will come home!
I know you guys were interested in him but not meant to be sarcastic. Just bloody fortunate to get him for the moment. I sure he'll be a £25M player by the end of the season and there's no way he'll be a SFC player if that is the case. Again with Lambert very good fortune to get him when we did. as for my comment about Xavi, he may not leave Barca at the moment, but he is a player worth tracking as his time at Barca nears its end. He would knit your midfield together.
Our Midfield is in no way our problem. We need strikers. We mostly dominate possession and create tons of chances, enough for two clubs sometimes, but cannot put them away. All LFC fans will admit that our strikers have let us down for over a year now. Add that toothlessness to Pepe becoming less reliable (over a year as well) and or defense suddenly having more errors than usual (not as bad as the striker and keeper issue, but compounded by injuries) and it adds up to our current quandary. B4F: Agree with most of what you said in the OP. We definitely miss Bellers goals, and didn't replace him. IMO, I do feel, however, that you were being unnecessarily harsh on Shelvey and Skrtel in your assessment. Skrtel, like Agger, has been okay, and I've rated Shelvey so far this season (controversial sending off aside).
Just make a starting 11 from the 09 season and have a look at it now. That alone should show how far off we are in terms of overall quality and getting everyone pulling in the right direction.
I'm not convinced that our interest in Gaston Ramirez ever progressed past the gossip column. Not saying he wouldn't have been a good signing.
Fair enough critic Bow. If we get the results chugging, grinding or even limping along nicely between now & Christmas (plleeeasse) then I'd be wary of buying for buying's sake in January. By all means if there is a striker out there for decent money go for it but BR doesn't need to put more distrust in the market in these owners heads by buying a striker for the sake of it who merely adds to our lack of scoring. As it is, we just have to make do with what we have. Would we normally like to see the kids put out on the wire like this? No. But, where it ruins some it makes others, we just have to hope its the latter. Next Summer has to show a focus by Manager & Owners in doing early work raising the class of the team. No more talking about "visions" then. Surgical moves in the market to make vision a reality. Back to this season. We just have to trust the manager can get the existing squad to step up. I think the quality overall is there to match last year league wise with maybe a place or two improvement. Just got to stay off everyone's backs. I honestly think all it will take is that first win.
I think we should use the kids and see if they can step up. My reason for this is - If the likes of Wisdom Morgan Suso can manage the step up it will mean that we have a much better overall squad and can then concentrate on adding 1 or 2 quality players for next season other than having to buy 4 or 5 and therefore stretch our money.
Sterling has already shown us that he is worthy of a starting place. He's not just a youngster who has merely 'done well' by not making any mistakes in his matches and playing it safe. He's actually added to the team. Suso showed signs that he too can add to the first team - a few more starts and we'll get a better picture but I have faith in the lad. Re. Wisdom - big decision for Rodgers. Will he revert back to Enrique at LB and Johnson at RB? Or keep Johnson at LB and Wisdom at RB? Wisdom was probably the highlight of the defence against Young Boys. He'll be up against stronger opposition but he appears to have a fantastic foundation - strong, fast and more importantly, he can play football. Looks classy on the ball. These are 3 youngsters who can ADD to the first team. My main gripe with Downing and Henderson is that they are afraid to add anything and often choose the safe option, and this is probably why we struggled to score goals. Henderson has time on his side and is showing signs of contributing more.
I think we have to stick with what we have and even go as far as to play Morgan or Yesil up to January before buying a striker. Coates is capable of covering for Agger and Shelvey and Sahin are young players who can do the job in midfield, I would disagree that we have a bare squad the only obvious gap is a striker but it's a very important position. Rodgers has to make a choice play Morgan or Yesil and see if they can hack it, if not buy a striker in January but as far as the rest of the quad goes I want us to develop what we have.
This. We are short on strikers, we need at least two. We're also short on numbers. We need another centre-back as Jamie Carragher is knackered, we need a Lucas deputy too. We squad wise need at least 4 players overall.
I'm viewing what is going on at LFC as the development of a corporate strategy and its subsequent consequences -both seen and unforeseen. It's very early days and nobody knows yet if it will work or how committed the owners are to it. However, it is in-play and we will have to live with it. I've said it before but I am a fan of the strategy of managing the club within its ability to be self-financing as far as possible. The consequences of that are that unless a fantastic deal can be struck with a star player we will be looking for cheaper younger players who have the potential to become stars in their own right. Perhaps the difference between LFC and some other clubs is that we are not expecting to sell-on these players when they do make it to the top. For too long, the orthodoxy of 'you only achieve the position that you pay for' appears to have been fulfilled - but at a major strategic cost to the clubs themselves. So both City and Chelsea are totally dependant on the fortunes of individuals over whom they have no control whatsoever. United have no control over the plans of the Glazers but suffer from their demands upon the club. Today we hear that the Spanish economy is shrinking at a far faster rate than was thought. With NO Spanish club in the top flight being financially viable there's a recipe for disaster! The situation is little better in Italy or France and Portuguese clubs are all basket-cases. When are those of you who play computer simulations going to wake up? It's no longer the Naughties where millions could be thrown about in gay abandon. This is called a time of austerity but it should truly be called a time of reality. Hence a 'living within your means' strategy makes far more sense. None of us know if FSG is in this for the long, medium or short term. For sure they won't tell us and probably don't know themselves. However, it appears that they protecting the core value of the acciquisition - and that does not lie in star players on high wages. So does all of that mean that it is continuing doom and gloom on the pitch? I think not. We do have top-flight players. We have also been blessed with a crop of youngsters who can augment them. We are in a far better place than most clubs. Sure mistakes have been made and more will be made but we are far from being threadbare - as Kenny was during his first season back. Yes we have key injuries but we also have players to both fill the gaps and to potentially add something either a little more or different.
Agree with your assessment of our team / squad requirements. Also, agree with a lot foredeckdave's said about the running of the club. 'Within-our-means' seems to be the phrase which embodies the key to our future. Still, I'm also impressed with the glut of young talent we seem to have -- Rafa did extremely well there!
FDD - the sense of a self-financing club is irrefutible, but looking at how this is achieved is the issue. we're in the midst of an austerity programme that has seen the big wages moving away, simply because we can't afford them any more. And why is this - no CL gravytrain to ride. How do we achieve the CL gravytrain? Do we invest and hope to get into the top 3? Or keep austere, and hope that our manager and young talents can bridge the gap? And if we do bridge the gap and get into the CL, how to we spend safely, in case we drop out again? This is the conundrum...
I don't hold with all this "kids" bollox, @16 you can have sex @17 you can drive a car @18 you can vote. Who decided that you will not be good enough for the Prem until you are 24? Hendo @22 is leaving it far too late in my books, he now only has 10 years in which to do everything. They train every day, they watch videos, you can teach a 12 year old kid how to beat the off-side trap. @17 they don't have fear, respect or limits, they are brave fearless and indestructible. Also we are not relying on them, we are relying on the 11 players that go on the pitch, every player who pulls on the shirt SHOULD feel that responsibility. And it is not as if we are sending eleven 16 year olds out, it is a blend, and for far too long, it has been an unfair blend on the youth. This is a meaningless Mickey Mouse cup game, and they all deserve to be out there, and if they are good enough, they deserve to stay in the team, like Sterling and Suso. Not that they should play the full 90 week in, week out, but what Rodgers has been doing has been spot on, and we have looked better for it. You don't see a 16 year old bottling it like Downing or Hendo, struggling to make the step up to a big team, kids are cocky, they think it is their god given right to play for Liverpool, and for a few years you give their egos the chance to run wild. Mistakes and injury will settle them down by the time they hit 20. Time to give raw talent a go in a couple of positions, a 16 year old kid will be knocking them in while Borini is doubting himself. a 17 year old kid will take on defenders, while Hendo and Downing are bottling it and cutting back. Bollox to the old ****e in their 20's with their worries and their indecisions.
