Liverpool Banter Archive April 11 2015

11 Apr 2015 21:19:49
Eds fellow reds, sterling wants to tread carefully as one Mr ibe will be named in squad on Monday so young raheem could get out shone once again .cmon young Jordan do your thing lad .

11 Apr 2015 21:27:20
There you go, unnecessary pressure on another kid.

Raheem no good anymore then?

11 Apr 2015 23:19:06
Unnecessary pressure? Don't worry Davey, I doubt Raheem frequents the Liverpool Rumours website

12 Apr 2015 00:11:36
Sterling is a decent player but as only performed well for a small amount of time. He needs to be more consistent, and needs to get his head screwed on.

12 Apr 2015 02:25:21
davey playing in the 1st team for any club in the prem with top 4 ambitions brings its own pressure to perform,plus Jordan Ibe is a lot older in the head than some people give him credit for nice lad on and off the field , he looks better than sterling anyway , he also has a good footballing brain its what he showed in one game when we had a corner and we got hit on the break it was Jordan who took it upon himself at such a young age to sprint back into his own half and win the ball back it showed me how good his footballing brain is and that was last season i think or early this season

12 Apr 2015 05:02:45
i think we need to worry more about where we finish at the end of the season. players come and go, but we will still be in the league next season.

put the best team out. let raheem decide his future.

12 Apr 2015 09:17:12
Get off Sterlings back!

Let him try and play his best game, I agree his form hasn't been great this season.
Deal with this farcical contract buisness at the end of the season.

Good luck Jordan Ibe completion for places is always good.

YNWA

11 Apr 2015 19:24:25
Are liverpool realistically in for Milner & cech?

Will skrtel only leave if BR does?

If sterling refuses to sign in the summer will liverpool sell?

Do you expect Johnson & Toure to leave?

Have Coates,Albert,wisdom,aspas a future at th club?

Are we in for Reid from West Ham?

I have my own views but interested in your views?

And if you can only sign 3 players in the summer what position would they be ?

11 Apr 2015 21:32:02
Il put u out if your misery befrore ed002 does. Read the posts haha

11 Apr 2015 22:13:12
1) Wouldn't mind Cech at all, but I have no problems with Migs as #1 goalie atm. I don't see what use we have for Milner.

2) I think it would be in the best interest of the club if both leave.

3) If he stonewall says he's not signing one on the terms we're offering then yes, if he just delays, then maybe not.

4) Yes.

5) No, No, yes & no.

6) Despite the abundance of defenders at the club currently, I could see us being in the market for another one in the summer. Jonno, Toure and Enrique are all out of contract, Coates will likely be moved on, I wouldn't exactly be surprised if Manquillo's loan was cut short, and Skrtel may leave. That would leave us with three center backs, one left back, one who can play either fullback position, Wisdom, and McLaughlin. Depending on what position Wisdom is deemed to fill (RB or CB), we would need to buy a right or center back. We may need both if Manquillo leaves and McLaughlin is not trusted by whoever the coach is. There's much worse options for CBs out there than Winston Reid, but I wonder would his hefty signing on fee be worth it. Of course it's possible the coach would trust both McLaughlin and Lloyd Jones to back up the first team, which would eliminate the need for another defender.

7) First and foremost, a striker. Apart from Sturridge, Lambert is the only one of our strikers I think are good enough to have any role at the club next season. And Sturridge will continue to pick up injuries. So Sturridge, Lambert, Origi & kids probably won't be enough.

Next, I don't think we have a proper leader at the back. So I'd try and get a good center back who does a bit of shouting to replace Skrtel.

Third, Defensive midfield, where we only have Lucas atm, or a fullback where we'll likely end up a bit light on experienced first teamers. But getting players in those positions would block the progress of Rossiter, McLaughlin and potentially even Widsom, all whom I'd like to see get a chance.

12 Apr 2015 00:54:38
I think a striker is critical and I think it's key that we get a genuine top class finisher like Vietto, Lacazette or even Benzema etc. to support Sturridge

Between Lovren, Sakho, Skrtel (assuming doesn't leave) and Illori, with Wisdom or Can as emergency cover I think we're OK for CB's

I'd also go for a strong CDM or CM to back up Lucas and support Hendo, replacing Gerrard and Allen. Someone like Schneiderlin, Pjanic, Kondogbia would be ideal. I like Allen but we should let him go as doesn't offer enough going forward to justify a more attacking role, while his defensive and passing are OK but not stellar (and he's not physically imposing enough as CDM when coming up against someone like Fellaini). I don't buy he's the next Xavi or Iniesta as their attacking vision and passing range are exceptional. I think Can and Rossiter will actually benefit from a strong world class leader in midfield to deputise for

I'd also go for one more proven FB like Debuchy, Danilo or Clyne to rotate between Flanno, Moreno +1 new, with Wisdom to get the odd game and can also help CB if required (think he'd fit will in a back 3 setup)

The above would be funded by departures of Gerard, Allen, Johnson, Toure, Balotelli, Borini, Aspas, Alberto, Coates

12 Apr 2015 02:30:26
i would love us to get Milner , he works his socks off and he makes things happen like last season he turned the game in man citys favour when they played us , if you can't see how good he is then there's no point in trying to point out his good points , put it this way he is a better version of kuyt his work rate is better than kuyts was , plus he can tackle and make and score goals

12 Apr 2015 08:50:28
Skrtel will probably stay for the duration of his current contract regardless, I would personally pick Skrtel for the team captain next season over any other player.
If sterling refuses to sign in the summer I'd expect Liverpool to sell, why keep him? he's not bigger than the club. In two years we will have 2-3 youth players in the same position break into the first team; Ojo, Canos, Wilson, Kent. that's besides Ibe and Markovic.
I expect both Johnson & Toure to leave.
Coates, Aspas has no future, Wisdom and Alberto would be sold for the right offer and would probably have very limited first team action if they stay similar to Coates, Borini has had.
Reid signed a new deal so would cost too much.

Pjanic CM
Firmino AM/RW
Benzema ST

12 Apr 2015 23:32:10
Skrtel should be sold ASAP and should be nowhere near the armband because he is NOT a leader and making tackles all over the place due to his lack of positional sense and communication skills does NOT make him capt material. Toure might sign a one yr extension based on the Ed`s and We don`t need defenders IMO. We need a striker who can get goals and None of the strikers mentioned will come w/o CL and even with it, only Vietto is realistic based on the Ed`s. We have good academy prospects who need to have a go BUT BR has shown he has no faith in them and ONLY uses them when he has to due to lack of money and injuries (Raheem, Flanno, Wisdom, Suso, Kelly) or when he is order to by the owners (like Ibe)

11 Apr 2015 14:38:04
Edd001, do you regret us letting shelvy go? I think it was best for him at the time because he needed a long run of games but he'd turned into a quailty midfielder for me. Still needs to work hard but he's someone who could have been a great player for us imo

{Ed001's Note - we didn't 'let him go', he wanted to leave. It was the right move for his career, as he was only going to be on the fringes, at best, for us. I think it was the best move for us as well, as I don't think he was ready.}

11 Apr 2015 15:26:15
I said at the time the lad has all the quality to be a player in so many ways similar to scholes

11 Apr 2015 15:41:12
Shelvey would not lace Scholes boots in any shape or form. He might be good enough to clean them.

11 Apr 2015 19:29:03
Was best for shelvey but would prefer to have him on the pitch then allen. Fair play to shelvey though, gets to play more and has shown he has plenty of ability

11 Apr 2015 21:56:26
Shelvey is one of those naturally talented kids. Bet he looks a worldy in training, he just doesn't have the right attitude and thinks he's better than he is. He's the exact opposite of Henderson. Henderson, to me, is the perfect example of a player working hard and continually looking to improve but not having that top natural talent (very similar to Lampard).

12 Apr 2015 05:07:31
scholes? he's a united player yes. bt shelvey is nowhere near scholes.

12 Apr 2015 08:04:20
Nothing wrong with Shelvey's talent.
It is his decison making which let's him down, especially when the red mist descends.

12 Apr 2015 08:51:36
Lies he was outshining Henderson when Shelvey was with us

12 Apr 2015 14:02:42
Everyone was outshining Henderson when he was played out of position ( RM) I'm amazed our manager chose to put him back there for the arsenal game.

12 Apr 2015 23:33:11
he played him at RWB which was even a dumber decision

11 Apr 2015 14:20:47
Our biggest problem for the summer transfer window will be having to move on players that simply are not good enough and then having to make enough money from those sales to bring in players of better quality.

Lets look at some of the problems our wasteful transfer spending has created

Aspas, Alberto, Balotelli, Borini, Lambert, Coates do not seem to be in the plans going forward. How much will we recoup on these players?

Other than Lambert, It is not going to be a walk in the park either moving the above mentioned players on.

Now the killer punch comes in. Sterling and Henderson decide that they are going to move on because LFC = no guaranteed success. They can earn more and have a chance of winning trophies elsewhere. It is not rocket science.

Then my worst fear will be that for some reason FSG decide to give Rodgers another season when the above situation stares you in the eyes and then you sit back and wonder who exactly LFC will attract to replace Sterling and Henderson with ready made top quality players while Rodgers is in charge and how much it will cost the club to do so.

It will be another year of transition because players will be having a look at LFC's very current situation and ask themselves why sign for LFC when they cannot even manage to convince two of their best players (Henderson and Sterling) to sign new contracts.

End game.

11 Apr 2015 14:54:10
Not one player we have is good enough to be holding the club to ransom. The club fought hard to keep Suarez for last season because he was worth fighting for. His ability on the pitch spoke for itself. If any of our current players really want to go and a good offer comes in then let them go, but the ball is in the clubs court.

Red Rum

11 Apr 2015 15:32:40
The ball is in the clubs court when we will struggle replace Henderson and /or Sterling with players of the same quality or better?

Which players that were signed at the start of the season are better than the two above mentioned players and what is more, we had CL footie on offer and over £100m to spend.

Start of next season LFC will not have CL football on offer and there is no channce LFC will or are able to make over £100m available again unless we are ablle to sell Suarez again.

Time for some to take of their rose tinted spectacles.

11 Apr 2015 16:33:15
I don't see things that negatively at all.
For a start we will still have coutinho, sturridge, lucas, can, sakho, and several other very good players.
We also have moreno, who could be very good with a bit more defensive coaching, and lovren who could regain good form. Maybe manquillo will get up to scratch given more work over summer.
Ibe will also be better than sterling given time.
I'm much more worried about henderson leaving than sterling, because hendo won't be as easy to replace.
If we can get a good striker and replace hendo, i think we can challenge for a CL place.
It certainly helps to have lots of world class players, but you don't have to have a megastar squad to get fourth place. Southampton showed that sometimes you can get into a CL place by just playing well as a team. You just need to keep up the performances for both halves of the season.
And have a very good manager.

11 Apr 2015 17:20:13
Max , I will give you one name , Jordon Ibe , this young man will be our best player very soon , and save us millions .

11 Apr 2015 17:46:17
Yes redforever, then Ibe will also be called a money greedy player when he decides like Sterling that there is very little chance of success at LFC.

Plus now Ibe will need to carry all the weight because we cannot replace the likes of Henderson & Sterling adequately.

Rose tinted spectacles.

12 Apr 2015 00:55:38
+1 anonymush

11 Apr 2015 13:09:37
Hey everyone just a few questions on sterling if anybody has any info.

1)is sterling wanting more than money than of we have offered or does he want to move to what he thinks is a "bigger club"

2)can anyone see this ending with sterling signing a new deal personally i don't, I think his heart is set on moving when he gets the chance.

3)was anyone else disgusted with the "quite flattering to be linked with arsenal" comment in that interview that says it all his hearts not in it.

I think he is a fool that believes all the hype there has been from the media and see's himself as world class.Sorry but he never has been never wil be, he will never be half the player hazard/robben are. 50 million is a miracle which we should bite hands off for to sell this deluded guy who think he's one of the best on the planet.People will say fans should support and back him he plays for blabla but its actually his actions that brought this on.The boy is supposedly wanting aguero type wages which i find hilarious. He showed us no loyalty so why in hell should we return it to him.

Ant facts/info about the situation would be appreciated guys.

11 Apr 2015 13:29:00
anybody else bored of hearing about sterling, got a great idea let's wait till summer and see what happens

11 Apr 2015 14:00:45
Much like yourself my initial reaction was, greedy boy who does he think he is, but as time has passed and I start to look at things in the context of the modern football world I am slowly softening.

If a Lfc player dares question the club, its a disgrace, but if a player Lfc are trying to sign (Suarez, Louvren,lalanna, Origi,etc) starts messing his club around, we view it as ok because its Liverpool he wants to join.

Put yourself in the shoes of one of these fans, and imagine how they feel, when one of their heroes, decides he wants to move on to LFC, after they have "made" him ?

It cuts both ways,and you have to accept it, while in the meanwhile making sure you get as much as possible for them,Southampton have been experts at this.

By the way there is no bigger LFC fan than me, but its changed times.

11 Apr 2015 14:10:48
Good idea mike Liverpool football club is a million x bigger than anyone player manager or any individual come to that.
Things change quickly in football and in August 2013 who would have dreamt you'd be so close to winning a title in May 2014 and the problems of this season will get sorted in the summer too.

11 Apr 2015 14:31:41
I personally don't think we should be looking too far into anything reported in the media about Sterling's contract situ. He may have said a few dumb things but he's a 20 year old lad who has suddenly been thrust into the limelight, with all this expectation piled on him. His agent sounds like a right piece of work and the lad deserves a break. Why not just support him whilst he is our player and wait and see what happens in the summer. Us bitching about him isn't going to have any impact on whether he stays or not, and the media are probably having a field day with this. Let's cut him some slack for now. And thanks G62, classy as always

11 Apr 2015 14:55:12
G62, Class personified! Sterling`s situ is not that complicated because players do it all the time, they wanna see if the club is in a position to compete. He is young and naive BUT is being taken for a ride and spurred on by a self-serving and disingenuous agent which in the end, I can hope that Raheem realizes this and cuts ties with him. We can all disagree on what we think he should do BUT we should alo remember that in the end, it`s his life and his career at stake and he will do what HE thinks is best for him and NOT what we think he should do. Let`s wait and see in the summer and IMO, he and Hendo will sign because it will be suicide to let those two go regardless of the money they will bring. Trust me, you do not wanna be labelled a selling club like Arsenal was because if we cannot attract good players now, we DEFO won`t attract ANY players as a selling club

11 Apr 2015 11:18:02
According to echo and the express Martin Skrtel has put contract talks on hold until end of season. Can you see a move without champions league or do you expect him to stay

11 Apr 2015 11:53:38
Everyone is waiting to see what deal Sterling is offered. Then they will assess their own worth against that and make their demands accordingly.

11 Apr 2015 12:02:49
I want to say for the record that I also put my contract talks on hold until the end of the season.

11 Apr 2015 12:18:44
That's a positive. He's brainwashed if he thinks he's good enough for CL. Poor defender and I would be happy for him to move on

11 Apr 2015 12:28:05
Skrtel is the least of our worries right now. We can also make use of Ilori and promote the likes of Lloyd Jones. Sakho and Lovren to be our no 1 CB partnership next season and maybe Toure will extend his contract for another year or so. Skrtel is easily replaceable so if he wants to go then he can go.

We need to do what we can to get Henderson and Sterling sign new contracts. If we can get these two sorted then LFC will show that they have some ambition left. The other thing that needs to be done is send Rodgers on his way. IMO Henderson and Sterling have seen that nothing is going to change under Rodgers if he had to stay on next season so their decision also therefore would depend on what FSG has planned for next season regarding Rodgers replacement. If Rodgers stays, Henderson and Sterling will without a doubt be off.

11 Apr 2015 12:54:33
Could they not all be waiting to see if Rodgers leaves , because they don't want to work under him.

11 Apr 2015 13:35:12
Totally agree Maxlfc Skrtel is so easily replaceable and get Lloyd Jones in the 1st team.BR has been questioned as to why he isn't bringing enough young lads through and yet he promised FSG that he would.Skrtel is always one rash challenge away from either a red card or a pen.Yes he is playing better but he still remains a liability.Get Lloyd Jones in quick.
Barry inLouth

11 Apr 2015 15:01:10
I`ll make it easy for him, he should not be in contract talks to begin with. He should be sold, ASAP. He is the poorest CB on the books and will defo NOT be missed and I will love to see the back of him. As for the other two, I think they will sign in the end because we CANNOT afford to sell our core players and hope to attract better players. that would make us a selling club and no top player wants to go to a selling club that can`t compete EXCEPT you throw severe wages at the m if we do.

11 Apr 2015 08:40:40
Wonder if one the problems in the current setup is Coutinho, Sterling and Llalana are all potentially/already some of our best players (when Llalana is fit), but all 3 are best suited as CAM's. None of these are natural wingers or wide players, even if good enough to get by.

By contrast we have Allen in midfield, GJ at RB and Sturridge alone upfront.

I actually don't think losing Sterling is such a tragedy (although I rate him) so long as we bring in a genuinely world class player in his place to cover some of the weaknesses elsewhere. I'd rather have Coutinho at tip of the diamond and Sturridge/Benzema (if we can get someone like him!) than trying to fit Llalana, Sterling, and Coutinho into the same attack.

11 Apr 2015 09:16:57
I think the Ed's have hit on this and looking at the last two seasons alone. which World Class Players would join us?

Also we would probably have to pay double our current highest players package to get them.

If it is true Milner would cost £120-£150k per week; world class players coming to Liverpool for a smaller salary than offered elsewhere is not going to happen.

{Ed002's Note - I would not get in to the wages too much but with a player in the position of Milner there would be a signing on fee, much like Joe Cole. That could possibly (if the player agrees) be spread across the length of the contract.}

11 Apr 2015 09:09:39
It is a tricky one with Sterling. In terms of football I agree that for all his talent, if we could bring someone like Benzema I think we will benefit. I think Sterling can be better in a team when there are other stars who are the first option when going forward (like last year with Suarez), then Sterling can be a very good second or third option when going forward. And when he gets the ball a one two or a pass to one of the other stars is a first option and hopeless dribbling against five defenders (which he will still be able to come out with someothing of it occasionaly, because he is strong and fast and a very good dribbler) is only plan B or C.

For me his decision making of what to do with the ball is just not good enough to be the person that lead an attack. The way things are for him with us, he is in most case the person to go to when we go forward. Regalrdless of his position on the pitch, even when he play a forward, his decision making of what to do with the ball is poor IMO. His passing, crossing and even finishing all need a lot of improvement. And I for one not sure all this will improve with age although some may.

The problem is, as we saw last year with the Suarez for Sanchez saga is that selling a great player doesn't automatically mean being able to bring one instead of him. As was said here, if we will lose Sterling we will further reinforce the image of a team who is just a feeder of the big teams. This will only make it even mroe difficult to bring big names. And also I doubt very much if Sterling will leave for a team outside the PL. To have him play for Arsenal or CIty (in his case i wouldn't be surprised if he will even join United if they are willing to pay) against us will be quite painful.

11 Apr 2015 10:11:31
I think Sterling's best position in in behind twin strikers to run at the defence (as we've seen with England) because frankly his finishing isn't yet good enough to play as a top striker, and his talent is a bit wasted out wide. Unfortunately that's also Coutinho's best spot and probably Llalana too, although I think Llalana's more versatile and can play in a midfield 3.

I agree we cannot lose Sterling without a big name coming in or the rest of the team feels like we're a feeder club, but if we bring in a big name in the strikers like Benzema or Lacazette, or bolster the midfield with someone like Pjanic, Khedira or even Milner (that will add experience and creativity to sit alongside Hendo) that would also leave space for Coutinho/Llalana/Markovic/Ibe to develop into attacking roles that Sterling would otherwise take.

I'm fairly sure the balance of the team would actually be better for it, even if I actually really like Sterling and would love to see him flourish at Liverpool.

11 Apr 2015 11:36:46
We won't replace Sterling with a better player not a chance. Our record shows that. We'll waste the money.

11 Apr 2015 15:10:36
In addition, selling raheem wnd Hendo would make us a selling club and NO big time player wants to join a selling club that can`t compete. They wanna play for a club who can keep it`s best/core players as well as compete at every level for trophiwes. Also, did I mentione good wages?

12 Apr 2015 00:57:37
If you bring in a world class midfielder for Sterling (and I agree you need to have it lined up before selling, unlike Suarez), then I don't see that as a selling club, just one reshuffling it's team setup to be more balanced.

Hendo will stay, I'm sure he's just waiting on 100k and confirmation he's the next captain and someone won't come in over the top of him.

12 Apr 2015 08:09:47
Good post Zimbo.
Does make you wonder why we signed Lallana.
20 million on another Striker to add to Sturridge would have seen that money better spent.

11 Apr 2015 00:09:13
Hi eds

Just wanted your opinion, if LFC fail to finish top 4 this season, do you think it is possible to finish top 4 this day in age, if a club solely focuses on promoting youth? I guess part of the issue would be how good the youth are. I worry we as a club have been spending far too much and should focus more on bringing more young players though, before we spend. I am happy with the owners they have gone above and beyond supplying money for transfers, but I guess they have just been too trusting in some respects.

{Ed001's Note - it depends on how it is done. If you are selling your best prospects at 20/21, then no. If you hold on to them and develop them, then yes.}

11 Apr 2015 15:12:55
Keeping your best prospects and signing good players to play with them is your best bet. if you are a selling club, you have no chance "cos a bird in hand is worth two in the bush". That saying comes to bearon this topic