Liverpool Banter Archive December 29 2016

 

Use our rumours form to send us liverpool transfer rumours.

29 Dec 2016 21:55:56
Phil Scraton can hold his head up high after knocking back an OBE, unlike others.

Leave it at that.

Believable16 Unbelievable1

30 Dec 2016 07:19:54
I love the reason he gave too. Top man.


29 Dec 2016 21:42:43
I find it strange posters on here keep pointing out we have 5 attackers already plus youth so don't need anyone else. If klopp ends up signing another attacker then it's cause he needs another one and he know better than us.
all it takes is one injury and one to be off form and your bang in trouble.

Utd have depay mata ibrahimovic rooney young mkhitaryan and then rashford martial and lingaard on the bench who all have international caps and senior squad members.
Man City have sterling nolito aguero navas debruyne sane silva and iheanacho.
Chelsea have Moses oscar vanginkel batshuayi costa hazard Pedro and willian.
Arsenal ozil Ramsey giroud oxlade Sanchez wallcot welbeck and a few more.

These are our main rivals at the top of the table and their attackers comfortably outnumber ours.

Believable6 Unbelievable9

29 Dec 2016 21:59:50
Thank the lord someone else can see it. We are really short compared to rest of top teams excluding Spurs.

Mane goes then sturridge gets injured and coutinho return get put back again. What do we do then?


{Ed001's Note - funny how you conveniently skate over the fact that a large number of those players listed are inexperienced youngsters who are being given chances, such as Rashford, Martial, Lingard, Iheanacho and Batshuayi. They may have international caps, but so does Harry Wilson, so how does that matter?}

29 Dec 2016 22:08:09
Magic, I think you'll find Chelsea have sold Oscar and Moses plays right back. Van Ginkel is very much on the same sort of level as Ojo or Ejaria anyway. So if you want to say we only have Coutinho, Firmino, Mane, Origi and Sturridge; realistically the only players you can count at Chelsea are Hazard, Costa, Pedro, Willian and Batshuayi.

Have you considered a) that we don't have any European football and don't need a squad as large as City, United or Arsenal? And b) that having a smaller squad improves team harmony/ spirit, and makes it easier to keep everyone happy and in form?

In case you missed it, we are above all the teams who have more attackers than we do. Arsenal may have a lot but they have a lot of poor players. Walcott, Welbeck and Chambo are just sprinters, Özil is the laziest player I've ever seen, Ramsey is a cripple who rarely gets into any sort of run, and their most under rated striker (Giroud) never plays because Wenger wants Sanchez up front. Arsenal are fortunate that Bellerin and Sanchez are so good going forward that it offsets how average the rest of their options are. If either of those two is missing they look like a skeleton team. My point here is that simply having numbers is not the answer. Quality over quantity. Or perhaps you want another Pongolle/ Babel/ El Zhar/ Assaidi/ Aspas etc?

Coutinho is back soon, Sturridge and Origi look good and Firmino is still good on the pitch! So if Mane is off for 3 games, I think we can get past it. If Ojo, Ejaria, Woodburn or Wilson have to cover as subs, I'll live with that!

Where I do agree with you is that if Klopp thinks he needs some more options, then I will fully support him in that decision. Personally though, I don't think we are exactly lacking firepower. Coutinho went out and Origi scored 5 in 5. Origi hit a bad patch in the last 3 games, and Sturridge comes off the bench to be heavily involved in goals against Everton and Stoke. Firmino is just Firmino and Mane will pick up where he left off in February. Don't panic buddy!


{Ed001's Note - Ozil lazy? Nonsense, he covers more ground than almost every other player in the Prem. He is not lazy, he just is not there to track back, that is not his role in the side.}

29 Dec 2016 22:51:50
UTD, Chelsea, City and Arsenal have enormous wealth to afford a Titanic full of players. We don't have enough with us. A wide player might come but not in January I guess.


29 Dec 2016 22:35:21
Apart from our boys ed lad 😉

But to be fair martial and bats are worth 70 odd million. If we signed a good young player and played him then for me its just a young player doesn't have to actually come from our youth academy, even though its nice.


29 Dec 2016 23:00:26
I think he just frustrates me Ed because there are times in games where he could make things difficult for the opposition and he simply chooses not to. I know it is not his job per se, but when you watch a player like Lallana or Firmino week in week out who are so selfless, then see Ozil not making the same selfless defensive efforts it just pales in comparison. Lazy is probably the wrong word. He does move a lot which is why he at times links play so well. It is just his absolute refusal to put in a tackle when the chance is there which frustrates many of my Arsenal supporting pals. Perhaps a lack of aggression is a better way of describing it?

I also think his creativity is massively exaggerated. He is branded as the king of assists, yet he can't even touch Milner or Henderson in this respect over the last 12 months. He just comes across as a luxury player at times who only shows up when the game is going well. If the going gets tough he shrinks away. I will admit though that I only watch Arsenal when they play us, or when they are on in the background in a pub. So perhaps I just haven't watched him closely enough to fully appreciate him.

I still don't think Arsenal's attack is anything like as good as it is cracked up to be. I think in Sanchez they have the best forward in the league and in Bellerin they have arguably the best attacking right back in Europe. These two guys make most of the decisive runs that actually carve teams open. Without them, Arsenal are pretty average offensively. They tend to get away with it though because they have a very solid defence, excellent options in the deeper midfield positions, and still in my opinion the best keeper in the league.


{Ed001's Note - Ozil is the most creative player in the Prem, it is not his fault he was creating chances for Giroud to miss.}

29 Dec 2016 23:06:26
Supermane

We signed a young keeper and is now struggling bad. Not all young ones go on to become Coutinho.


29 Dec 2016 23:10:12
I'll have to humbly disagree there Ed001! I think Ozil is very creative when his team are on top and the opposition are all over the place. However if he is faced with any sort of challenge, everything I have seen of him suggests he whys away from the test and just fails to deliver. I wouldn't have him anywhere near any Liverpool team in my lifetime. I think he is occasionally world class and consistently disappointing!


{Ed001's Note - I never said I would sign him for us, that would be pointless as he would not fit, but that does not stop him from being a top class player. He never failed to deliver when Germany won the World Cup, which is the biggest test of all. So I will have to agree to disagree. He is not a blood and thunder player, but that does not stop him being brilliant.}

29 Dec 2016 23:25:07
MK, I agree with your post overall BUT to say that Ozil is lazy is way off mark. He is to me, the one player of a certain group (he, Iniesta, Firmino, Modric, Kroos etc) that make football look easy. He is simply too talented for his own good.

As for creativity, he is world class and I know he doesn`t do a job defensively nor track back as he can be bullied off the ball at times BUT he is one of the players that I would want in my team any day of the week and twice on Sundays.


29 Dec 2016 23:26:52
For me De bruyne is the most creative with assists and goals scored.
The complete player for me.


30 Dec 2016 00:14:34
The reason why I include batshuiye and martial is cause if any club pays that sort of money for a player. he could be 12 yrs old for all I care, he's been signed for the first team and should be counted as such.
rashford and lingaard are miles ahead of the Liverpool youngsters in terms of first team and international games and are squad players. not youth players.
We had a bench of youth for 3-4 games, none got anywhere near the pitch in the premier league cause they are not ready. If rashford/ lingaard were on our bench they'd be thrown straight on.

We have 5 first teamers and a bunch of kids, we are not strong enough, had we had that extra 2 players to help cover our losses we would have more points.

This is exactly what happened on this forum when klopp was signing midfielders in the summer, everyone was moaning, but turns out klopp was right then too.
And finally just cause all those other teams have money to burn, it don't mean we can't have an equal squad size, all it means is we can't spend as much on each player. and as klopp has proven with matip klavan milner (left back) . it's not all about who spends the most. If your still in doubt, just ask Leicester.


30 Dec 2016 00:33:44
Oh and to say ozil is lazy. is just taking the mick, he is a top class player and would make any team including Barcelona and Madrid.
It's so easy to say xy and z are rubbish or just speed merchants, but whether we rate a player or not is not what we are debating here. Those players we call rubbish are first team players or at the least squad players, the managers for their respective teams deem them good enough.


30 Dec 2016 01:03:22
MK love your posts more than most on here ( great to hear your little one and Mrs are home) but early in this thread you say Arsenals defence is solid, only 2 less goals conceded than us.
There are only 3 teams with a markedly better defences than ours Chelsea, Spurs and Southampton and we're ahead of 2 of them.
It's as if everyone jumps on a bandwagon.
Chelsea two man team
LFC great going forward crap defence.
mcfc " " " " ".
Arsenal will implode in the run-in.
Spurs. " " " " " ".
ect.
Our defence is conceding about 0.25 goals per game more than the top 6 average.
Yet our attack is averaging 0.5 more goals than the top 6 average.
Happy days, i know what I'd pay to watch.


30 Dec 2016 01:08:46
Talking about players availability, I read in BBC that Firmino's hearing will be on the same day of the Chelsea game. Is there a possibility that he will miss the game?


30 Dec 2016 01:21:11
In what universe outside of China is Martial worth 70m?


30 Dec 2016 08:38:53
Marco there is no bandwagon, Chelsea have shown what can be done with both a potent attack and mean defence. If we had a better defence we would not be six points behind them now we would probably be 6 in front of them.

I am not saying we cannot go on to win the prem but 2014 was a case in point if we want to draw parallels. It will be a tough ask and there will be a few twists for us and them. But we will put pressure on them by beating city tomorrow and sunderland on Tuesday.


30 Dec 2016 08:52:00
Sigh, all you've done is mention as many players as you can to suit your agenda!

Utd - Rooney is sh@t, lingard is 23 and been in their youth setup for years and only just getting a chance now, depay is a huge flop they're trying to get rid of and rashford is a youth player no-one had heard of who was a given a chance when the chips were down (fair play he took it) . By the way how is all of that attacking depth working out for them? I think they currently sit 7 points short of us no?

City, can't argue with that except I would put ihenacho in the same boat as rashford, why can't that be ojo?

Chelsea - oscar has been sold and not used, Moses was a joke until this season and cannot be included as an attacker given he's playing RB, van ginkel is in loan somewhere and you should check how many appearances he has for Chelsea, I'm pretty sure it's meagre.

Arsenal i can't argue with except for Ramsay who is not a front 3 player or he's a tenuous one at that.

if I took your approach of kitchen sink then we have Mane, sturridge, firmino, coutinho, origi, ings, (that's 6 so far you can't argue with and don't give me they're injured a lot tripe if you've included wellbeck, ox, wallcott) . On top of those 6 we have lallana, wijnaldum (AM until he joined us and certainly can play there), Milner can definitely play winger.

You must get my point, you're actually talking nonsense and have tried everything to suit your agenda of wanting a needless signing.


30 Dec 2016 09:33:46
Haizan - he will send his expensive high flying lawyer to represent him, probably plead guilty, get a ban and a fine.
He doesn't need to miss the game.


30 Dec 2016 10:06:41
87 red. I feel your missing my point, whether we rate them or not is not important. Rooney is on 250/ 300k a month, yes I think he's crap but fact is he's a first teamer so he goes on the list.
The whole basis of this was to say 5 senior attackers is not too many.


{Ed001's Note - and you have done that by completely fudging the point. You are completely missing the fact that a large proportion of those players are ranked as senior players purely because they got a chance due to their team not having 5 senior attackers. Why not give our younger players the same chances?}

30 Dec 2016 12:14:56
Thanks Ron!


30 Dec 2016 14:40:39
A Drunk Driving hearing does not take the whole day nor the whole day plus half of the evening. The Chelsea game is at 8pm so Firmino can have his hearing and still start the game so he`ll be fine.

As for our defence, drawing parallels with 13/ 14 is doing a disservice to how improved our defence is under Klopp. In 13/ 14, we were conceding 12 shots per game. this season it`s 7/ 8 at best. That season, Migs never played in front of a defence or defensive system where for long spells in games, he had strictly NOTHING to do. This season in an away derby vs Everton, he had NO save to make. That season, we couldn`t defend a set piece to save our lives. This season, we don`t even concede them and when we do, we are defending them much better overall.

What am I saying in essence? I`m saying that goals coal conceded and lack of clean sheets (trust me, I want them too), do not tell the whole story of how our defense has improved steadily under Klopp.

The goals we concede are a collection of mistakes (including those of the GK) that lead to them so again, Klopp is right that when we concede, it`s not just the GK`s fault all the time. See Stoke`s goal for an illustration.

Comparing us defensively to Chelsea, is a fool`s errand cos they already have that culture of defensive soundness from Mou`s first days and the 3-4-3 is a more defensive formation so it is a perfect storm for them. We don`t play that way and we defend by actually attacking you relentlessly and dominating possession so the opposition lives on scraps. We`ll be fine.


30 Dec 2016 16:14:41
Sorry to drag this up again, but i completely agree with the stance that whilst Ozil isn't lazy per se he doesn't always get involved where he should. I've watched Arsenal play a considerable amount of times over the past couple of years and find him to be absolutely infuriating to watch. I also thought he was really poor during the majority of the world cup games too, and remember a few of my german colleagues calling for him to be dropped. He's a luxury player who's reputation definitely precedes them.


30 Dec 2016 16:39:38
Eds001 I totally agree let's give the youth a chance. But for some reason klopp chose not to, so if he doesn't rate them as ready. then we must buy because coutinho injury mane going away and Sturridge injury leaves us paper thin.


{Ed001's Note - or it forces him to give them more chances....}

29 Dec 2016 21:28:06
How can sky get away with running such bull stories?

Believable3 Unbelievable0

{Ed001's Note - because idiots believe it. If people stopped watching their crap and believing them, they would soon stop bothering.}

29 Dec 2016 23:47:16
Been sky free for about 10 years now.
I take great delight in streaming games for free that are on sky but I watch with American presenters lol.


29 Dec 2016 23:25:49
But we both know that will never happen, don`t we Ed?


{Ed001's Note - sadly. People think because they see it on TV it must be true.}

30 Dec 2016 14:41:07
That`s why we have Donald trump as President, Ed.


29 Dec 2016 21:19:53
Hi eds,2 I've watched a few of the U18 games this year and I was really impressed with young McAuley, striker, he looks really clinical in front of goal. I was just wondering what you think of him as a player and what hope there is of him making it at Liverpool.

Believable2 Unbelievable0

{Ed001's Note - I have not seen him play yet sorry. If it is the Irish lad, we only added him in the summer to the youth team. He is very highly rated though.}

29 Dec 2016 20:51:21
We have no interest in Ox! The only prem attack minded player who might be available and worth Lfc shirt is. Payet.

Believable0 Unbelievable11

29 Dec 2016 23:27:21
He`s not worth it either, Malmo. Very lazy, doesn`t track back, only plays when he has the ball and feels like it and quite simply, inconsistent.


30 Dec 2016 01:23:17
Klopp has broken with the normal tradition of not discussing transfer targets to say that Liverpool signing Ox is 'nonsense'. can't get much clearer than that.


29 Dec 2016 20:40:52
Eds, would it be correct in assuming that if it appears on Sky Sports, there is certainly some substance to it, or do they just do it so people lash a bet down on a bs story?

Believable0 Unbelievable1

{Ed001's Note - depends on the story, they do certainly run a lot of stories that are pure BS to stir up mugs into betting. They also run genuine news as well.}

29 Dec 2016 19:49:38
Off to Scotland for the new year with the other half. Anyone know whether the pubs in Edinburgh show the Liverpool games on Sky, or just Scottish games.

Believable1 Unbelievable0

29 Dec 2016 20:45:52
I went in 2012,there was a good irish bar called malones which was a sports bar, decent food, cheap drink, great atmosphere.


29 Dec 2016 21:26:11
Recommend Teuchters in William St, West End.


29 Dec 2016 21:26:27
Ha ha ha . c'mon lads!


29 Dec 2016 23:29:01
We have a Mony Malone`s sports bar here in Northern Kentucky (U. S) . That`s where I`ll be watching the game as it is run partly, by and LFC fan from England.


30 Dec 2016 01:50:58
Did you say Scotland or Timbuktu.


29 Dec 2016 19:20:11
Hi Eds, what's your opinion on Gomez and Grujic? Does the club see a future for them?

Cheers.

Believable0 Unbelievable0

{Ed001's Note - yes. They are both good young players with plenty of potential to improve. Grujic is not ready for the Prem and Gomez is still getting back to his best following the bad injury.}

30 Dec 2016 01:52:12
Any idea when Gomez is available for selection lads.


29 Dec 2016 17:50:27
Anyone know the journo that broke the "ox to anfield" story?

Believable0 Unbelievable2

29 Dec 2016 18:25:20
A Mr B lagger.


{Ed025's Note - love it davey..

29 Dec 2016 17:17:10
Phil Scraton

Phenomenal Individual.

Believable9 Unbelievable0

29 Dec 2016 18:00:39
Absolute top man and good on him.


29 Dec 2016 19:46:28
What a legend, totally exposed.


29 Dec 2016 23:36:16
Decency personified.

A breath of fresh air to end the year.

Good on him.


30 Dec 2016 02:26:58
Here here.


29 Dec 2016 15:40:27
On physio room it's saying that matips expected return date has been put back until January 8th and it says there's even "a slight doubt" about that. Coutinho has been moved out to the same expected return date and there is still a "major doubt" about this date. I knew coutunho wouldn't be match fit even if he did return for the city game but I'd assumed we'd have matip back. Does anyone know if these return dates are correct.

Believable1 Unbelievable0

29 Dec 2016 16:44:01
I expect both to feature after the break ie against UTD.


29 Dec 2016 16:44:04
return dates are estimates mate i would think. its hard to get exact dates.


29 Dec 2016 17:02:49
At least we are not rushing them back.


29 Dec 2016 17:40:22
I`d rather we not rush them back so they will be fit and fresh for the Utd game so Matip can shut down Ibra and Couts can embarrass DDG again with that audacious chip.


29 Dec 2016 21:55:30
I understand that both Matip and Couts will be out until at least the middle of January. So they will miss some very tough matches when we need them most.

This coupled with Mane being in Africa will provide a testing time for our squad. Having the spine of your best team out is a big miss.


30 Dec 2016 17:43:44
We have already been without matip and couts for a while now so there won't be much adjustment there. Mane will be a miss but i expect sturridge to come in and hopefully ojo who are not chopped liver. So i think we will be fine. Players will come back and what do you do with those players you brought in for 30m pound who will be immediately displaced by returning players ala mane. And what do you do with the untapped potential youth players who have yet one more person blocking them from having the chances to realise their potential.

I understand peoples need for that new player fix i have had that fixation for a number years in my youth. I now realise in my old age that we need to plan and think longer term. So i don't think we need to spend to cover 4 games and upset the chemistry of the squad atm.


31 Dec 2016 03:03:36
Wtt u on about it's a coming.


31 Dec 2016 07:19:09
Wtf even.


29 Dec 2016 11:28:47
I don't see why some people think we have to get a player in to replace Mane. If we did (NO1) He would have to be signed rapidly. (NO2) He would have to get used to the system of play. (NO3)By the time this is done Mane will be back. So i think one of the youngsters should get a chance until then.

Believable15 Unbelievable0

29 Dec 2016 11:56:59
I think we should possibly look for only 1 signing which would be a centreback. Ilori clearly isn't fancied, Gomez is young and CB's don't often establish themselves at his age. Sakho is gone, Klavan and Lovren don't fill me with confidence. Eventually I'd like to see another partner for matip than those 2. with Gomez waiting and learning.
At the moment Sule and Brooks, seem to be who we are linked with, though I can't say I've really seen either play. If we are to make a decent go of this season, I'd like to see us strengthen in the CB department and we can really push.


29 Dec 2016 12:27:39
So you expect mané to play a full season without the need of a rest or having a niggle here and there? Don't u think having another top player in his position will provide added competition for a place in the squad. Don't u think if mané is having an off day, we can bring in a very good plan B to change the game? The youngsters should be given a chance but they cannot be thrown in the deep end straight away. Only time will tell whether they will turn into excellent players.


29 Dec 2016 13:30:53
I don't think the club would sign someone for 4 weeks or 6 months. This will be in consideration for the CL campaign next season.


29 Dec 2016 13:45:24
So by your reckoning then we should buy someone to give Henderson, Clyne etc etc a rest. If someone needs a rest we have young player's that can step in. I for one would like to see Ojo get a shot when Mane is gone.


29 Dec 2016 14:43:43
Equally important is a top goalkeeper who would earn 10-15 points a year.

All our rivals are way better equipped in this department.

A top keeper would settle the defence and boost confidence throughout the team.
Klarius has great potential but he's not ready yet
Migs has upped his game since karius was signed but even at his best he falls way short of the standard set by Lloris or Cortois even
Petr czech is still a finer keeper.


29 Dec 2016 15:27:54
I personally don't think mignolet has upped his game atall. He's made 1 decent save in 3 or 4 games since he's been back. Wasn't tested in 2 of them and flapped at a header a decent keeper would of stopped. Stick with him for now but look to bring karius back in towards later 3rd of the season if he is costing us points. Might as well bring a young gk through who will cost us a few points but gain experience we will keep rather than someone wwho will do the same but we r probably getting rid of in the summer.


29 Dec 2016 17:52:35
@parstheball

You think we should bring through a different keeper who you acknlwdge will drop us points?

We're pushing for a league title. We are not in any position to throw away any points. Ridiculous!


29 Dec 2016 17:55:22
Parstheball is spot on. Dermot, and which top GK would that be? DDG, Navas, Lloris, Coutois, Oblak? Cech? The same guy who got beat at his near post vs City who to me, is slowly losing it? And please, do not mention Hart? You say Karius has potential which I agree with BUT is not ready yet so again, what should we do with him? Bring in a top GK (whoever that is cos they`re all obviously taken) and then push his development down the toilet? How will he fulfill his potential if he doesn`t get to play and learn?

And comparing him to established GK`s like Lloris (capt. of France) and Courtois (La liga winner and no.1 choice for Belgium) is dishonest as they are more experienced than him.

As for Migs, he`s still the same. His kicking is still crap and though it was a collection of mistakes that led to the goal for Stoke, his positioning was suspect hence, he got beaten at his near post which goes against the fundamentals of any GK, period.

Vs Everton and Boro, might as well have put Manninger in there as the defence shielded him well and had next to nothing to do. So where exactly has he upped his game? If you think Klopp is going to bail on Karius then you are joking. He will give him every opportunity to prove himself cos he already knows Migs is not the answer. If he were, Karius wouldn`t be here. just saying.


29 Dec 2016 19:36:10
Joe hart.


29 Dec 2016 21:00:18
I think you are puzzled by what i said puzzled red. What I mean is. At the moment, both karius and mignolet are neither setting the world alight. All I'm saying is, play karius instead of mignolet as both will probably cost us a few points but we will end up keeping karius, mignolets future at lfc will probably be over in the summer. Give karius some experience. It won't hurt In my opinion.


30 Dec 2016 14:52:04
Hi Hamilton.

I was thinking along the lines of Pickford at Sunderland.

He seems to have reached a high premier league standard and has been player of the season so far in a poor Sunderland side.

I know he's just been injured but he looks top class and is young too.


29 Dec 2016 10:52:52
Would love to hear Ed 1s and other peoples opinion on Lallana and how he's come into such good form! does Klopp deserve massive credit for it? I used to be so frustrated looking at him and now he has me at d edge of my seat.

Believable2 Unbelievable0

{Ed001's Note - it is the style of play and the coaching. The style of play is about keeping the ball moving quickly, so he can no longer take 15 touches when one will do, like he did in the past. He also, due to the coaching, knows instinctively what run his team mate is going to make, so he can just play the ball into them, rather than having to look and think where to play it.}

29 Dec 2016 11:19:24
I know you weren't a big fan but are you happy to have him in the team now? has he gone up in your estimation?


29 Dec 2016 11:27:26
He is not tied to any fixed position especially the wide areas. The freedom to roam around and the offensive style of play gives him opportunity to bomb forward and license to roam around the 6 yard box. There was never a question on his abilities. Technically the best player Southampton had in decades. Improved his fitness level to another level under Klopp. If you go back to the same old possession footie he will collapse.


29 Dec 2016 11:37:42
So it's the new system making him look good rather than the fact he's always been a good player who was playing in the wrong position? 🙄 The lad is just one of our best players and he's playing exactly the same only from deeper (ironically the position I wrongly thought he was bought to play in from day 1)


{Ed001's Note - what? You need to learn to read and understand what you read, rather than reading and adding crap from your own head into the mix. Everyone knows he was a good player, nothing that was said there suggested otherwise, but he was being used incorrectly for us, nothing to do with position, as he played the same position at Southampton and was excellent for them.}

29 Dec 2016 12:07:54
Matt le tissier might disagree with you Harry mate.


29 Dec 2016 13:32:49
Yeah I missed him God. Second best player then.


29 Dec 2016 18:02:05
Can`t believe I`m saying this BUT Harry`s description of Lallana is spot on.

He is now becoming the player we all knew he could be cos every man and his dog saw him play at the Saints and knew his talent and ability was undeniable. BR had no clue how to use him (nor Firmino or Can or Origi) . Klopp came in and knew immediately that Lallana was the ideal player for his pressing system both offensively and defensively and due to his improved instincts and fitness levels, he is flourishing.

IMO, he is the X factor in every game we play cos NO team in the PL can do what he does. He`s always two-footed, the most dangerous player on any football pitch, my father used to always say. Bravo, Adam!


29 Dec 2016 10:50:14
Ed001, what are your thoughts on Chamberlain as a player? I personally don't think he's good enough, would much rather give Ojo the chance.

Believable2 Unbelievable0

{Ed001's Note - he is not good enough. He is big and quick, but lacks anything else required. I have worries over his maturity, which has seen him make no improvement whatsoever to his game since joining Arsenal. In many respects he is worse than the player they bought. Arsene Wenger gives his players a lot of leeway, he treats them like adults and expects them to act like it. Players like Sanchez thrive, they work and work and improve, without needing someone standing over them, because they are mature and have desire and drive. Players like Oxlade-Chamberlain and Wilshere slack off and get lazy, they don't improve and they pick up constant niggling injuries as they are not fit enough.}

29 Dec 2016 11:24:44
Ed do you see any real interest in him from us.


{Ed001's Note - not that I am aware of.}

29 Dec 2016 11:30:11
James Milner of the past. Runs around and work hard with no end product. Absolutely nothing other than the odd goal. Looks brilliant as an impact sub mainly due his pace and built which tires the opposition. Poor in the system we play in fact he has no brains to control a football. A better player than Sissokho but that's it.
We don't need another Milner with no end product. Thank you.


29 Dec 2016 12:27:13
Milner has always had an end product from wide areas.


29 Dec 2016 16:27:39
Not that we are going to sign him but I'd imagine a player like Ox would only improve his technical and mental qualities under Jurgen, Ed.


29 Dec 2016 15:08:37
Hi Ed.
Hypothetical question about the Chamberlain discussion above.

Do you think he would improve under a firmer regime? Like Klopps

He seems to have bags of talent but just doesn't deliver consistently.
Maybe a bit like Lallana?

I think it might be a good bit of business for us if klopp can find that missing 5-10% like Lallana, Firminio etc.

Keep up the great work, tbis is by far the best football fans site
Tks.


{Ed001's Note - possibly, a little, but it is too late for him to get over the injury problems so it is not worth bothering with him.}

29 Dec 2016 18:08:16
The Ox is like any other Arsenal player bar Sanchez as in, lazy, unimproved, slacker and complete dud. Don`t believe me? Take Him, Wishere, Gibbs (yes, him), Bendtner, Song, Walcott etc.

They are simply not good enough cos they don`t do enough to improve. Hendo was way behind Wilshere for England. Now England can`t play without Hendo cos he is everything Wilshere is NOT. Same for Walcott. All he had was pace and the odd eye for goal.

Now at 26, he`s literally a spent force and no one (with a functioning brain cell) wants anything to do with him os he like his mates, will never get better. That Arsene dude must be a wonderful coach.


{Ed001's Note - Ozil is not lazy or unimproved, no matter how much the media tries to make out he is!}

29 Dec 2016 10:22:37
Any news from macca ed001?
If he still up to his eyes?

Wanted to open a book on who the first player in and out of the door will be, but i think id rather have a flutter on -

1. How many user names will harry have in the year 2017?
2. How many times ed002 uses the words knuckle dragging on this site in 2017?
3. When ed001 finally escapes from harrys basement.

Believable6 Unbelievable0

{Ed001's Note - I haven't had a chance to contact him yet. I will do so the moment I escape....}

29 Dec 2016 11:32:03
1. 12 ( one for every month )

3. I am taking him to Korea and we are setting up a new office there.


29 Dec 2016 18:46:31
I think you should stick to SCM so I can call you "Sweet Cheeks".


29 Dec 2016 09:57:05
Baby and mum came home together at 7pm yesterday night :) thanks for all the supportive messages guys. And so the sleepless nights begin!

Believable20 Unbelievable1

29 Dec 2016 10:10:22
All the very best to you MK. Hope everyone is okay 👍.


29 Dec 2016 10:23:27
All the best to you and your family, wish you all happy years to come.


29 Dec 2016 10:25:28
Congrats Mk.


29 Dec 2016 10:28:04
Congrats mate. Wish you thd beat of luck with your family. I'm having my second in about 7 months time and t can't come quick enough. I hope in years to come I'll be able to tell him/ her that Liverpool started the title winning streak the year he or ahe was born lol.


29 Dec 2016 10:36:20
Nice one.


29 Dec 2016 11:16:14
Excellent news adam.


29 Dec 2016 11:19:02
Great news MK, the sleepless nights soon pass mate, all the best for the future. I hope it brings Health, Wealth and Happiness.


29 Dec 2016 13:33:52
Happy 17 to u and urs redman.


29 Dec 2016 15:37:50
Congratulations Adam. Best wishes for the future.


29 Dec 2016 15:56:58
Cheers everyone. Wishing you all a happy new year.

Also, congrats Liverpoolfc16! I dunno how you'll cope with two! You'll need eyes in the back of your head!


29 Dec 2016 16:30:56
MK, my littlen is 5 weeks today. Never been so tired. All good fun😀.


{Ed025's Note - cherish them while they are young and innocent xabi, my 2 lads turned out to be red hot liverpudlians and although i have forgiven them i still dont know where i went wrong mate.. :)

29 Dec 2016 18:10:04
Those babies grow fast, MK so take advantage of everyday you have with the newborn. Mine is almost two years old and I already miss the days when he was a 5/ 6 month old. Congrats again, my friend!


29 Dec 2016 18:40:55
Congratulations MK! Wish you the best of luck for the entire family. And a Happy new year! :)


29 Dec 2016 18:45:19
Good news about baby Ron 🙂.


29 Dec 2016 18:34:30
Ha ha ha Ed025. You did not go wrong mate they just chose the best club ha ha. Do not worry your grand children would turn out to be a blue. Buy a kit immediately after they are born. 😎.


{Ed025's Note - i have 2 granddaughters harry both who are being brainwashed into being red...i think i need to phone childline mate.. :)

29 Dec 2016 18:49:51
I'll bet Xabi! Thanks for the warning haha. Thanks again everyone! Happy new year to all!

Oh and Ed025, sounds like you did nothing wrong to me ;)


{Ed025's Note - i failed somewhere MK.. :)

29 Dec 2016 19:32:11
Haha Ed25. My 4 year old girl loves football and Liverpool (not pressured at all) . I always ask her, what does Sturridge do? and she replies " he scores goals". But she often asks why he isn't playing. sigh. She was delighted he came on the other night and scored. I just hope he continues in a red shirt for my sake.


{Ed025's Note - love it xabi..

29 Dec 2016 23:46:18
Its the best feeli g in the world.

The kids improve gour life in many ways
But what a f@##@@g responsibility.


30 Dec 2016 03:43:25
My 2 year old daughter tells everyone to be quiet when "Kloppo" comes on the telly.


29 Dec 2016 08:34:08
Morning Ed oo2 if you are around.

Pick your brains if I may. Sky Sports ( on their site ) has given a break down of clubs expenditure on players for 2016, both ins and outs in some cases, listing which club's have spent the most to the least.

Would those at "Sky" have access to the Transfer/ International Transfer matching system in order to obtain accurate numbers, once all the add on fees and costs were added to the initial cost of the players?

Cheers.

Believable1 Unbelievable0

{Ed002's Note - Yes they have access but without knowing what figures they have quoted I don't know if they have added taxes and correctly dealt with exchange rates. In all honesty, I doubt they took too much effort in terms of absolute accuracy, and for their audience it really doesn't matter.}

29 Dec 2016 09:06:19
Thanks ed002.

So as an example for club wise ( 2016 in total ) they quote Liverpool spent £75m and recouping £84.4, Chelsea £122.7

An example player wise, United spent £93.25 m on Pogba, Man City £50m on Stones.

To me, I don't think the relevant taxes and exchange rates have been taken into consideration.

Cheers.


{Ed002's Note - They have excluded a number of things such as tax, agent fees etc.. As you say it would need to be checked how they have dealt with exchange rates. Probably an intern with access to Wikipedia. Just ignore it.}

29 Dec 2016 09:37:15
Thank you Ed 002!


29 Dec 2016 10:28:54
Thanks for all the info ed002 two questions if I may:

Is there a way to get the expenditure information you provide for clubs to look at regarding transfers (like do they have to provide public access for it) as I think it would interesting to go through.

Secondly, is there a way to find out the ROI a club gets on a player in strictly financial terms? E. g. United spent a lot on Pogba but imagine from shirt sales and endorsements they can recoup a fair amount?

Thanks in advance and for the site!


{Ed002's Note - The public do not have access to the TMS. The clubs do not have a RoI on players and I have explained before about shirt sales.}

29 Dec 2016 08:29:19
Good morning all

Ive woke up to us being in for the Ox. Im really mixed on this one and I can not see Arsenal selling to us even if there is some truth in it. Also what does this mean ir the likes of Ojo, wilson and Branagan ed? A right kick in the groin for them lads.

Believable2 Unbelievable0

{Ed001's Note - correct, it would be.}

29 Dec 2016 08:59:25
Cheers mate, I guess you don't know if there is any truth in it? can't see them selling to us either.


29 Dec 2016 10:32:55
I doubt it'll happen. If it wasn't for the youngsters we have hed probably be a decent addition but he's the last player we need imo. We have plenty of cover itd be a waste of money, I rate Ojo a lot higher.


{Ed001's Note - I know nothing of interest from us. Just seems to be another spurious rumour. He is available for transfer though, partially because of his injuries and partially because he has not progressed.}

29 Dec 2016 18:11:14
Klopp already shut it down as lazy BS in his morning presser. Shocking, I know!


29 Dec 2016 03:40:19
I don't think we are going to buy, youth will play an important role moving forward.

Believable8 Unbelievable1

29 Dec 2016 08:29:54
Because fans who think that youths will take you to another level by winning silverware are living in la la land. Nevermind, if it's not this year then there's always next year or the year after.


29 Dec 2016 09:13:33
Replicating Pep's 1st season at Barcelona? However, I believe we will be spending more next season.


29 Dec 2016 10:44:36
We've spent money season after season and still haven't won much silverware. Who was the last player to come through the youth academy before the first XI? Sterling (even though we bought him when he was 15)? Flannagan who did well before terrible knee injuries? The squad isn't exactly inundated with young talent is it. I'm not saying we should only buy youth but surely to god we need to have a mixture of signings and youth coming through? We can't do a United and spend huge sums of money on players every window - it is a bad business model and no guarantee of on field success.


29 Dec 2016 10:59:20
True as you said a mixture of both would be ideal. Not buying and playing only youths wouldn't do the trick for liverpool. They need to be eased in with the odd 10-20 mins in some games. However, for whatever reason it seems that Klopp is still reluctant to use them. For example, Liverpool leading by 4-1 against stoke and moreno is preferred to one of the youths.


29 Dec 2016 11:21:34
Maybe he is saving some of them for the game less than three days after man city on saturday. We do not need ox and i would be disappointed if we bought him over the likes of ojo and woodburn.


29 Dec 2016 11:37:21
Maybe he's reluctant because he doesn't think there good enough now. He's tried a new keeper and the lads been destroyed by the media and fans. If he buys players in who will compete for a first team place or be better than the guy there then I have no problem. Your all presuming it's a squad player or temp solution. our attackers have all been on their game because there is competition for places, we need that across the team. there was an interview with klopp months ago where he stated he thought we were short of wingers so I would expect one.


29 Dec 2016 16:11:44
Buying OX is not the solution moving forward. If we buy we would need to buy quality and someone that would give his all to the team. Securing champions league is priority, like it or not we won't be able attract with it.


29 Dec 2016 18:25:06
Spot on, RN. Ox ain`t coming as Klopp already shot that BS down. As for using the youth. Klopp has already used the young players more regularly than BR ever did during his whole tenure here so if he`s not using them now, it doesn`t mean he`s reluctant to use them or no longer needs them.

It just means that they are not ready yet to have a full run in the team but he keeps them on side by placing them on the bench so they can watch and learn so when they do come on, they know what is expected. All in good time, lads. Let`s just enjoy the football being presented to us every week.


29 Dec 2016 03:25:55
Would love to hear thoughts on why Liverpool declined in the 90s as the new premier league began, was it down to an aging squad or poor manager appointment of souness.

Believable2 Unbelievable0

29 Dec 2016 07:45:39
Both, add poor decisions by the then owners.


29 Dec 2016 08:34:14
Liverpool had an oppprtunity to 'reboot' after the 90's. Moores should have sold the club to the Arabs when he had the opportunity. They would have invested massively in the club and liverpool would have had the financial power to compete on all fronts with the top clubs in the world.


29 Dec 2016 09:27:35
As the top-flight moved towards PL formation we had far more important things to concentrate on.

This affected our planning and led to our manager/ legend resigning part-way through a season due to the emotional turmoil he had been through.

Our decline started before Souness took charge, look at our squad from 89/ 90 season compared with the one he took on.

Yes, he made some horrific purchases and wasn't great in his time with us, but it's not just down to Souness.

He had managed rangers who enjoyed spending vast sums on foreign players in what had become again a 2-team league in Scotland back to competitive football n England. Poor decision by whoever.


29 Dec 2016 09:55:56
I think Ed001's commented on this a couple of times, particularly Parry and Moores. Either way, we did have good chances along the way to push to next level and market club better e. g. cup treble, CL time under Benitez - if I remember rightly we were seeded 2nd in CL for a couple of years - some obvious missed opportunities to my mind.


29 Dec 2016 10:47:11
Type in 'David Moores' in the search engine and find Ed001's comments on him - no doubt his greed, mismanagement and hubris lead the club on a consistent decline until H&G, and now Henry, took over. It's the sort of decline that will take a long time to fix but that the current incumbents are doing a decent job of.


 
Change Consent