Liverpool Banter Archive December 30 2017

30 Dec 2017 22:10:21
I have always appreciated Milner's work rate, although have never been completely convinced of what he offers the team, however, I think he really brought forward his experience today. Last week, he had mentioned that in order to see out games we need to be 'boring' at times and I noticed he did exactly that during the last 12-15 minutes of the game. This was a mature performance from the team more than anything else, although when we sit deep, its a recipe for heart attack. I still don't think falling back deep suits us the most, as we have seen time and again in the past, but it certainly paid off today in the dying moments because I think Klopp managed his substitutions much better than he has in the past when we have resorted to falling deep.

This brings to an end an eventful 2017 for the Reds and I am looking forward to a much more consistent and trophy laden 2018.

Thank you to all the Eds and fellow Reds and wish you all a wonderful end to 2017 and an even happier start to 2018. :)

30 Dec 2017 22:27:10
I agree that Milner works hard and did create a little today. For me though, he left Emre Can too exposed for long periods of the game. With Coutinho in there aswell along with our high full backs, you need two players alongside each other in there. Can was on his own a lot and against a good counter attacking team like Leicester, it was a problem. I felt that was evident throughout the game especially when possession was lost high up the pitch.

30 Dec 2017 22:35:49
Whilst I agree sometimes Milner does lack a little finess, what I like about him is he isn’t afraid to try the foward pass, the little flicks around the corner, etc. Sometimes it goes wrong and we all groan, but it’s that kind of courage that can break down a stubborn defence. I’m glad we have him and will be sad to see Milner likely leave at the end of the season. Never thought I’d be saying that a few years back!

On the performance, agreed it was very mature. I especially liked Robertson’s professional foul to stop them breaking near the end of the game. That’s what's needed sometimes and good to see the players realising that.

30 Dec 2017 23:28:39
Happy NY, Abba and to all the reds out there, first off. Regarding Milner, He did create a bit more today as he could have easily had 3 assists today. He also stuck the boot in when required and Robbo was not scared pof fouling people as well along with Firmino and Can. We need those types of "dark arts" as a team cos it seems that we are just a bunch of "nice guys" on the pitch trying to just outplay the oppo. based on our quality on the ball.

31 Dec 2017 01:46:27
I though Milner did well. his main problem is he never look capable of scoring and that means he will always be under threat from someone like Lallana in the forward midfield roles. I have little confidence in him being able to shoot from distance or even if the ball drops to him in the box.

30 Dec 2017 22:07:44
Why move Gomez to centre back when he's playing so well at right back. TAA ain't ready to play every game there. People are so quick to move people around but we are unbeaten in 12 or 13 is it? It's working well and with the introduction of VVD, it will only improve more. Gomez is learning so much where he is and will only enhance his ability to play CB perhaps next season.

30 Dec 2017 22:21:23
It is difficult enough to bed in one CB midway thru a season without trying to introduce 2. I agee with you that Gomez is doing just fine where he is and it might be the start of next season before Arnold holds down a regular right back slot.

30 Dec 2017 22:30:33
Agreed. I think a right back will be pursued in the summer to allow this to happen. This will provide competition for TAA. It will also provide an option for him to be employed in a more advanced position.

30 Dec 2017 22:37:18
Neither will be there long term, but I prefer to see Arnold there in games like today purely because he has the better cross. Prefer Gomez against the more attacking teams as he is the superior defender imo.

30 Dec 2017 23:33:54
You may be right there, Farmer as Klopp does not see TAA as a RB long term as he is originally, a midfielder and that is where Klopp sees him long term BUT things may change of course.

31 Dec 2017 01:48:59
Agree with you in principle westwood (and think Klopp does too) but I’d put Leicester into the category of a dangerous team. TAA more for games like Westbrom, Stoke, Brighton etc.

31 Dec 2017 06:55:30
Yes I agree TAA could play a lot of our home games especially against teams that sit so deep (man u) . He adds more of an attacking option. I think it was the right call for Gomez today though as Leicester do offer more of an attacking treat on the counter. Add to that Vardy's pace then Gomez gives us a bit more cover.

31 Dec 2017 06:56:59
Gomez, Matip, and Virgil in a back 3 would be my preference.
Red-Rum.

31 Dec 2017 09:44:08
I would switch Matip for Lovren as Matip is the worst CB at the club, IMO.

30 Dec 2017 21:48:29
I can see Van Dijk becoming a LFC captain soon. He is strong and vocal on the pitch. What do you guys think?

30 Dec 2017 22:21:24
He certainly has the qualities to become one, however, for him to become the Captain (or anyone else for that matter), he has to demonstrate consistency in his performance, showing that he can drag the team out of difficult situations when required. The reason no one disagrees with the Gerrard's, Terry's, Ramos's or the Ferdinand's being top Captain's is because they have time and again demonstrated qualities which have rescued the team when most needed. If VVD or anyone else for that matter can demonstrate those qualities on a consistent basis (atleast for a season), then yes, they fully deserve to be made Captain!

30 Dec 2017 23:22:08
He's not even played a game yet.

30 Dec 2017 23:37:35
I think VVD shouyld be allowed to focus on his game at LFC cos tho very talented, his game needs a LOT of work. The capt. stuff does not help. IMO.

30 Dec 2017 23:58:14
Has he even been registered as a Liverpool player yet? Far far too early to talk about him being captain.

30 Dec 2017 18:05:16
Hi Ed001, what’s your opinion on Karius’ performance today?

{Ed001's Note - there wasn't really enough for him to do to get an opinion on. He had no chance with the goal and had little else to do. Certainly not enough to have a good or bad game.}

30 Dec 2017 19:05:51
Only thing I’d say, which is of some concern, his kicking off the floor still seems to be a bit of a weakness for him.

30 Dec 2017 19:38:34
Looked a little nervous with his kicking but its going to happen if the crowd keeps getting on his back. But way more confident when Karius is in goal than calamity Migs.

30 Dec 2017 19:36:12
Why the hell are we not going after nzonzi a specialist defensive midfielder with prem experience it's glaringly obvious we lack in this department, is there any chance of going after him.

30 Dec 2017 20:06:02
Hailstones, cos Klopp does NOT wanna play with a traditional DM. He wants to play a double pivot CM duo where they can both press, break up play, cover for each other in the press and launch attacks as soon as the ball is won. Chelsea play that way already with Baka and Kante (none of them are true DM's) since Matic left. A traditional DM will hamper the high energy, hight tempo system we play. This has been mentioned repeatedly on this forum.

30 Dec 2017 20:11:08
Thats why we bought keita.

30 Dec 2017 20:12:56
I'm not worried about his kicking as that is what he is known and highly rated for so a couple of kicks here and there does not change this fact. It's like saying Alonso was now a poor passer cos he fluffed a couple in a game. Migs is pee poor at it on a consistent basis so Karius is a massive improvement on that.

I know he did not have much to do BUT it is not a coincidence that this is almost always the case. The guy is calm, cool and collected s in possession, has become much better on crosses and is more decisive coming off his line. These factors clearly contribute to the defence being more stable (one goal conceded in 3 in the PL) hence, they can focus more on defending and not having to worry about whether a GK will come for the ball or cross or not.

30 Dec 2017 21:05:43
Wow, 7 disagrees, fair enough. I’m not slating him or anything I only noted it as it was something I was hoping he’d have improved on. I want him to have an extended run in the side for sure, let his confidence build and then we’ll see how good he is. He is kicking it rather than dawdling on it which is a big thumbs up improvement for me.

30 Dec 2017 17:35:13
I thought Robertson had a decent game today I like him. He needs to work on his crossing but he made a great interception in the second half. I think with more work he could be decent. Ed001 I know your not keen on him but do you think he has potential?

{Ed001's Note - potential, yes, but his crossing was garbage today and he wasted every chance he got to put a ball in. I really do not see why people are saying he is playing well. He was not good at all. Hopefully he will learn and grow as a player, but right now he is wasting possession constantly by hitting the first man with cross after cross after cross.}

30 Dec 2017 17:42:04
I still say Moreno ahead of him.

30 Dec 2017 17:46:52
I'll be completely honest, I've always thought that robertson has had solid games previously, never got into the arguments on here, it's very split by the looks of it, today was the first time since his injury that I really missed moreno, we were killing them down the left hand side every time, I don't remember one decent delivery into the box by robertson, his first touch was heavy, he over ran possession and his final ball was completely off. This isn't me slating him like I say but today was his worst performance for us.

{Ed001's Note - I agree, it was his worst, so hopefully it is the bottom line and he will now improve.}

30 Dec 2017 17:55:09
Thanks ed001 happy New year.

{Ed001's Note - and you mate. Good thing is we won, may not have been the best of performances from the lad but he has plenty of time to learn.}

30 Dec 2017 17:58:01
I liked his cover run in the second half. Crucial interception.

30 Dec 2017 18:02:08
Anyone know what the timeline is of Moreno's injury.

30 Dec 2017 18:02:19
Agree Robertson wasted possession a few times today but he had a great covering tackle and a couple of good clearances when Leicester were looking dangerous late on . All in though that was a great 3pts against difficult opposition.

30 Dec 2017 18:07:47
I agree ed, we got the three points and personally, having played for a long time at a fairly decent level, you know in yourself when you haven't played well, I hope he knows, from the amount of balls he played in to nothing, it wasn't a good performance, he can then work off that and improve,

30 Dec 2017 18:12:12
So we're missing Moreno for his attacking points I think everyone can agree. What about his defensive duties though. Would Moreno have made the same interceptions, covering tackles and decisions that Roberston made today? A question we can't really answer truthfully apart from opinions. For me though Moreno's weak link is his defensive duties and decision making. Just my opinion though.

30 Dec 2017 18:13:04
Yes he covered well to snub out the danger.

30 Dec 2017 18:23:31
Robbo had his worst game for LFC today. He was awful offensively and his crosses were useless and severely frustrating. Robbo was also caught up field and out of position a whole lot today and thankfully, Mahrez was a passenger all game so no harm done there. He did make some recovery tackles and credit to him there BUT overall, he was very poor. He is simply NOT a patch on Moreno yet and REALLY needs to do more cos right now, he is nothing more than a work in progress.

30 Dec 2017 18:35:04
Lots were average today. Tad unfair to focus on LB ✌️.

30 Dec 2017 18:44:13
Robertson hasn't been playing well, but I still have faith he will improve. Remember Moreno a couple of seasons ago, or even last season? Now he's one of the better leftbacks in the league and we miss him whenever he doesn't play.

30 Dec 2017 18:51:16
Looks like the way we see the game and interpret things varies.

Robertson is defensively better than Moreno and offensively he needs his team mates trust because he does not get the ball when he takes good positions.

Yeah everyone can improve and he also needs to improve.

Cheers.

30 Dec 2017 19:25:46
I don't see how robertson is better defensively at all, at least moreno stops some crosses coming into the box, robertson consistently gets turned inside out.

He was always a stopgap to cover moreno and i fully expect moreno to come straight back into the team whan fit.

I agree he has potential though and is young enough to improve as moreno has done.

30 Dec 2017 19:38:34
Ya know wat though he doing a job for us as the back up left back can't argue this is wat we got a squad for.

30 Dec 2017 20:00:28
We won from a losing position which I though we wouldn’t come back from. But the result was made even better by United drawing abysmally and Everton getting beaten.

30 Dec 2017 20:07:53
Amen Mr Dennis.

30 Dec 2017 20:24:45
Robbo is solid enough. but he is no significant upgrade on moreno. We haad a counter after 2nd goal and suddenly robbo appeared like a flash in the box, we lost the ball amd leicester attacked down his vacant spot. was thinking what the hell is he doing just after we got the lead.

Still think people are judging moreno unfairly.

30 Dec 2017 20:28:51
on the plus side lukaku gets his much needed rest! our feeder club did us proud.

30 Dec 2017 20:39:42
Sami IMO, there is no way Robbo is better defensively than Moreno. Moreno has improved defensively this seson as he doe not even allow crosses and no player can outrun him to the byline and get a cross in. We cannot say the same for Robbo at this time as he is constantly caught out of position/ up field leaving us exposed on the counter as Faithworks described. Him coming back to bail Matip out is normal as Okazaki was his man so it would be normal for him to track his run and cut it out. That is the basics of FB defending and nothing more as I used to play RB for a while.

Offensively, you are making excuses for him, blaming his team mates for not trusting him more. That is abject fiction IMO, as we all saw him get the ball out wide enough and he made a hash of near every cross he made. Robbo is learning the Klopp way BUT the bigging up needs to end. Robbo is not a patch on Moreno and I expect him to take back his position cos as of now, Robbo has done NOTHING to dislodge him. A player is not better cos you think he is or you want him to be. He will have to show and prove it to us and Robbo is not doing it as of yet. He needs to improve.

30 Dec 2017 20:52:09
Br I enjoy reading your posts and you can see you're an avid fan. But it feels like you're trying to enforce your opinion on people regarding Robertson and Karius the last few posts tonight. Just because people share a different view point than you doesn't make them wrong and it doesn't make them right either. Football is all about opinions. Klopp is picking the team so I'm sure we won't have long to wait to find out who is first choice keeper and left back in his eyes. YNWA.

30 Dec 2017 22:10:24
Robbo made me wonder who thought he was a Liverpool player. I'm a positive fan, he tries hard, is ok defensively, but you have to try really hard to be so atrocious on crosses as he was. He managed to hit the 1st defender even when he was hidden! I just don't see a player in him which is a shame as we need a Scot in the team! Milner is a better option for me. in midfield he just clogs everything up with his slow play.

30 Dec 2017 22:52:22
He’s hardly a glaring weak point though is he? He’s certainly playing better than Moreno was in seasons gone by. Not this year obviously and no he’s not pulling up trees when he has played so far, but what do you expect from a 2nd choice lb in his first year at a huge club? Far more concerning issues at GK, CB and CDM in my opinion.

31 Dec 2017 00:00:17
Jayden, all I did was give an opinion based on what I saw and have seen on both Karius and Robbo. I am not trying to convince anyone of anything at least, that is not my intention. Many on here including yourself, post opinions with a lot of passion and I have no problem with it as I love healthy debate.

We are all free to post opinions about any topic of our choosing and likewise, we are allowed to critique such opinions respectfully. I don't do anything different than anyone else, at least I don't think so. I love your posts as well so keep them coming, mate.

30 Dec 2017 17:03:17
Hi eds,

Just wondering if ....

{Ed002's Note - We are not going to get in to that stuff.}

30 Dec 2017 17:30:03
Salah is the Egyptian Ronaldo? Or is Ronaldo the Portuguese Salah?

30 Dec 2017 22:49:05
Salah the Egyptian Messi? Or is Messi the Argentinian Salah?

30 Dec 2017 16:58:37
Mo Salah just continues to surprise me, unbelievable signing. Funny thing is he could of easily doubled his goal tally the amount he's missed aswell lol.

30 Dec 2017 17:05:51
Imagine if a finisher like Kane had all those chances!

30 Dec 2017 17:12:06
Send all your bubble wrap left over from Christmas present boxes and donate it all to LFC so we can protect Mo Salah, we can’t afford an injury to him. Probably deserves a rest TBH but will Klopp risk resting him.

30 Dec 2017 17:17:26
What is people's obsession with Harry Kane? Or a player like Harry Kane?

Salah has 23 goals and Firmino has 16 goals before the New Year. And they've both left Kane for dead in terms of assists. What more do they have to do for people to stop obsessing over a striker?

Yeah, other players might have better shot/ goal ratios, but has it occured that maybe, just maybe, the players who are fluffing a few chances are also responsible for creating them? And that we might create less chances with Harry Kane or someone like him in the team? Our front 3/ 4 works, and unless we could get someone of the calibre of Lewandowski, we won't improve it by adding in a no.9.

30 Dec 2017 17:20:27
I just said "Imagine" .

30 Dec 2017 17:23:28
A slight over reaction there. awkward.

30 Dec 2017 17:25:14
Because couts is so influencial in how we are set up in this formation, when he leaves bobby could play 10 and we can play with a number 9 instead of him. Didn't we look at Werner a while ago?

30 Dec 2017 17:29:25
I understand RedEka's comment states a hypothetical scenario, but I think Kane would not get those chances even if he was in our Team. The reason Salah has all those chances is because he creates them by his movement and tenacity. Kane is a great finisher no doubt, but these multitude of chances are down to Salah just being a great player overall.

30 Dec 2017 18:30:34
Most importantly Abassep, Salah gets the chances he gets due to the unselfish nature of our forward line and the HUGE job Firmino does for the team that creates space for him to thrive. Harry Kane will NEVER do what Firmino is willing to do. In fact, Salah will not be as successful as he is now with Kane as Kane likes to get on the end of things, like Salah is doing and I doubt he will defer to Salah the way Firmino and the others do. I love Kane and he is simply lethal BUT I would not trade Firmino or Salah for him.

30 Dec 2017 18:46:07
Incidentally, Harry Kane has 24 goals from 94 shots this season vs. Salah's 23 from 91 shots. About the same.

I don't watch the guy, so I don't know what sort of chances he misses, but he could have just as easily fluffed the early chances Salah got today.

30 Dec 2017 20:40:44
Seen a lot of Kane, SR and he's fluffed quite a few himself.

30 Dec 2017 23:19:20
Agree BRover. Infact, I would not swap anyone in our frontline with someone else. I am somewhat of a 'if its not broken why fix it' kinda person, unless the change brings an obvious improvement and I don't think our frontline is in any dire need of improvement or tweaking. Its very true that every team has its DNA and that is very evident from the style of play of each team. A player shining in another team might be a complete lost cause in ours, if they don't fit our system (anyone thinking Caroll, Benteke or Balotelli, yes, you have the right answer) and our current frontline fits like a glove. I think the owners have come to that realization as well and are thus willing to splurge more on the right fit than buying the wrong one for a lesser value.

30 Dec 2017New image uploaded to the Liverpool Player Sightings page entitled, Liverpool can catch Man City

30 Dec 2017 16:59:50
Haha brilliant 😂.

30 Dec 2017 17:11:49
🔔🔚

Haha.

30 Dec 2017 12:51:03
Hi Eds,
Happy New year,
When would you say VVD will make his debut given his firm and injury history?

Like it or not there is going to be a lot of pressure on the lad's shoulders given the transfer fee and our previous pursuit of him,

there will be many naysayers chomping at the bit to bring him down,

{Ed002's Note - In a week or two.

30 Dec 2017 15:05:40
For all those people who say Vvd won't make a difference there's the reason why we paid 75mill 1 níl down after 3 mins!

30 Dec 2017 17:16:44
Don't insult American beer like that MK😉.

30 Dec 2017 17:24:23
I apologise 420. It may be weak, but it still doesn't deserve to be in the same sentence as Matip in hindsight 😂.

30 Dec 2017 18:44:48
MK, I disagree slightly. On the goal, Matip is pressed by Vardy. He then points to Emre Can to move into the space to create an angle for the pass. Emre can goes to sleep while Iborra who was deep in LC's part of the pitch, sees it and puts the press on. As Matip passes the ball, Can does not gewt into the space quick enuff and has to do a last ditch tackle to win a ball he had no chance of winning and the rest is history. VVD will not prevent Emre or any other player from not recognizing the most basics of football in this regard.

30 Dec 2017 13:58:39
Just watched the old firm to get an idea on the raved about Tierney.
Firstly, without having a dig at our Scottish brothers, it was like watching two league one clubs play.
However, Tierney, I don't get the ranting and raving. His pros are that he has a good engine, which isn't hard when compared to kranjaer and Scott brown. He seems steady enough on the ball, was just about the only lad who could clear their teams lines without booting the ball in to touch. He gets caught high and out of position a lot, maybe due to Celtic always dominating games maybe so he can afford to? Didn't win an aerial duel, not meaty enough in 50/ 50s or shoulder charges, he is however quite quick. There was talk of Liverpool being interested in him, even talk of him going for 50m! But in my opinion he is not as good as Moreno / Robinson.
I do hold my hands up and say that's the first 90 minutes I've seen of him, I think it's just a case of big fish small pond up there? Has anyone watched him more and could give detailed views on his game?
Best of luck to the red men today. 3-1 win I say.

30 Dec 2017 15:07:55
Benny, I am Scottish so have seen a bit of him and I do rate him as being better than both our LB's. I did not watch the game today though so cannot comment on it but I have seen him on numerous occassions and while he is young he is also one of the best up and coming young full backs I have seen recently as well as being able to cover in back 3.
Good engine, good positionally for his age with decent passing, comfortable going forward and defending though remember he is young with room to improve.

Funnily enough he reminds me a little bit of VVD in that people don't take him seriously as he plays in Scotland, it won't be until he moves (which I don't see happening soon) that he will get more exposure. A lot of teams are said to have been looking at him but he doesn't want to move at this stage in his career which I think is sensible from his point of view.
I would personally let him develop more for another 2-3 years but if he does move at some point and does well his value will rapidly increase, the question is will he fully realise his potential.

30 Dec 2017 15:07:55
Benny, I am Scottish so have seen a bit of him and I do rate him as being better than both our LB's. I did not watch the game today though so cannot comment on it but I have seen him on numerous occassions and while he is young he is also one of the best up and coming young full backs I have seen recently as well as being able to cover in back 3.
Good engine, good positionally for his age with decent passing, comfortable going forward and defending though remember he is young with room to improve.

Funnily enough he reminds me a little bit of VVD in that people don't take him seriously as he plays in Scotland, it won't be until he moves (which I don't see happening soon) that he will get more exposure. A lot of teams are said to have been looking at him but he doesn't want to move at this stage in his career which I think is sensible from his point of view.
I would personally let him develop more for another 2-3 years but if he does move at some point and does well his value will rapidly increase, the question is will he fully realise his potential.

30 Dec 2017 16:56:58
Not a chance he's playing in a terrible league where the standard is no better than the pub league.

30 Dec 2017 17:05:04
Thanks meerkat lad. Wonder if Celtic will cash in with the hype around him now, or risk losing millions if he doesn't kick on. One to watch.

30 Dec 2017 18:46:31
Sorry, we are already trying to work with an LB who has played in the PL and he's still a work in progress. We don't need an LB who is playing in a crap, one team league equivalent to the European Pub League.

30 Dec 2017 13:06:05
Just wanted to see what people's views are for the next few games. All our centre backs know VVD will be starting. Do you think this may give the current ones a momentary boost of form as they all need to prove that they're the one to partner him. It could give us a few clean sheets over the next three games and a bit more concentration as they don't want to make the previous errors they have and cost them their position where previously they could make these errors (lovren) or play lazily and not track back (matip) and still pretty much be guaranteed their place.

{Ed002's Note - No, it is n different to the transfer of any other player..}

30 Dec 2017 13:19:18
The centre backs will raise their game knowing a high profile one is coming in to seriously challenge them. Same as when teams have a boost when a new manager comes in, or a striker tries harder when a new one comes in, it's basic human instinct when we feel threatened we try harder.

30 Dec 2017 13:47:08
Klaven Matip and Lovren will all want to impress as much as they can now, they should do anyway but more so now VVD is incoming, they will want to cement their place beside him.

30 Dec 2017 10:54:45
Greeting Reds. Just joining the ever increasing LTRFTP team. as I have a question, or rather would like some views from people more in the know than I am.

Take Sturridge (for example), but this isn't specifically about him. He still has something to offer the game, perhaps not at LFC, and should be moving on by all accounts. Having read there is interest from Southampton and Stoke, which would be the better fit for him (or rather what would any player be taking into account faced with a similar situation)?

For Sturridge, my feeling is it should be Southampton, but they are all over the place currently and seem to have lost their way to a degree. He has to surely weigh this up against Stoke's offering - are they more stable in terms of management and a long term plan? Although Hughes has been there a while, I am not convinced he is the right type of manager for Sturridge.

Go easy on me with replies. but I do really think it's an interesting discussion to be had.

{Ed025's Note - accrington are looking for a forward..

30 Dec 2017 11:09:24
Classic. True to form Ed025😂. but really, is that is as good as it gets? Thanks for the reply though.

{Ed025's Note - he will move on i think saffa but i dont think the fee will be huge mate, i would have him at everton but it would have to be on a pay if you play basis so if your reading this studge give uncle sam a ring..

30 Dec 2017 11:13:50
Are Everton cashing in on Rooney so soon ex25.

{Ed025's Note - not just yet p1 he has a job to do at anfield shortly mate..

30 Dec 2017 11:15:54
He should be allowed to move on. Good time to recoup some money!

{Ed025's Note - you wont get much harry..

30 Dec 2017 11:23:05
From a business point of view we should sell to Southampton. We know they have the money to buy him and let's be honest it's only a matter of time before we want another player from them so it makes sense to keep the relationship going.

30 Dec 2017 11:38:35
Sturridge has offers from Spain, i believe. He'd be wise to consider those offers. He is far too good for Stoke or Southampton, but his fitness just doesn't stand up to the English game.

Spanish football is more about technical ability than pace or power though. Sturridge is technically as gifted as any player in the Premier League. Spanish football will suit him far more than the bus parking system that Southampton play, and what will he do in a Stoke team who are only marginally better than Swansea? He will never even get the chance to shine in those teams.

30 Dec 2017 12:00:02
Fair point MK (and thanks to all for the replies everyone) . I agree re his technical ability etc. It would be a shame for his career to stall further. best of luck to him wherever he may end up.

30 Dec 2017 12:04:48
The main hurdle will be will we sell him for a cut price because quite honestly he’s in a good wage and most of the clubs who will probably be in for him won’t pay a huge wage and transfer fee for him. Whenever he goes he’ll get injured, heading to Spain won’t change that, look at bale. He could be an important player for a decent team if he chooses right. Saints/ Newcastle/ Burnley/ all in different positions but could all use a finisher like him.

30 Dec 2017 12:18:46
I agree with Ed, we won't get much for him and why should we, I hope we don't overprice him out of a move, he's brilliant on his day but that day barely ever happens now.

30 Dec 2017 12:21:42
Sorry. last post then I will leave you all in peace. This is where my original question was coming from. so when does a player (Sturridge) opt for something that may mean less financial reward (and that's all relative), but something that actually is a far greater stimulus for his career. I can't even begin to fathom the wages these players earn, but surely at some point sanity and common sense must prevail. and they chose something other than the money!

30 Dec 2017 12:29:03
MK-I don’t think Sturridge is too good for Southampton it Stoke, 2/ 3 years ago yes but not now.

30 Dec 2017 12:40:54
He'd probably get an injury from the tapping up,

{Ed025's Note - love it der..

30 Dec 2017 14:37:42
Great guy, on his day good player. But he needs to be off the wage bill. Feel the same with milner to be honest too.

If we look to bring in the likes of keita and goretzka and then a Coutinho replacement we don't need Milner, henderson and wij all competing for spaces. Some of these players are on wages that are just too much to sit on the bench.