Liverpool Banter Archive June 06 2014

06 Jun 2014 22:41:48
Seen emre can play much ed001?
Your opinion if you have mate

06 Jun 2014 18:21:04
Hi Ed002, are there any updates on Alberto Moreno? Lot of sites saying we've agreed a deal, but they don't look the most reliable! Cheers.

{Ed002's Note - There should be nothing stopping it going through.}

06 Jun 2014 20:02:55
Hi eds thanks for putting up with my endless nonsense, between Shaqiri and Lallana who is closer to a move and on a more personal note to eds and reds which would you prefer and why? Thanks

IMO that Shaqiri would be the better buy. Younger, Faster, more of the out and out winger that we need. Lallana is good but more central and simular to what we all ready have at the club. And cheaper by the sounds of things. I'm not sure if we are in talks like reports suggest but for me Shaqiri would be a great signing.

Lallana of course he's far better imo

I like Lallana a lot and would love to see us sign him. I know we need a wide forward, but maybe the Lallana interest will signal the diamond formation being our go to tactic? You'd not bother spending on a wide forward if that wasn't going to be a position we played in most matches. We also have the 4 strikers in the squad to deal with 2 up front, depth for a 4 man midfield would make sense in this case, hence Can and Lallana interest.

Hi eds and reds

i really don't understand this infactuation with lallana, I know we all have an opinion and I respect everyones I may not agree with them but they all have valid points, but on here for the last 2 or 3 weeks all everyone goes on about is lallana, he's made out to be one of the best players on the planet, and I bet some will say or believe he is not far off the like of ronaldo or bale or messi , i'm not saying he is a bad player he has had a very good season, but to convince me that he is better than some of the players he has been mentioned against is just hysteria, and for some to say they would pay what ever soton want is beyond me, he has had the soton team built around him, that team played to him, as it was in the youth set up, he does have talent but for me he has not done it season in and season out in the prem, also if he was that good he would have been snapped up by the top teams years ago, but on very good season as in last season and a lot of fans think he is the best midfielder in the prem, people say he can play in different positions, that adds to his ability but look at the likes of king kenny and juhn barnes, souness, yaya toure and a lot of other players who have played in the same position all of their footballing years does not take away from their ability and how good they were, just because he can play in a few position does not make him a great look at matta, or silva they can play in different posotions but they are well better than lallana, also he is not worth £30 mill, that's just my opinion on him any way,

Longest sentence I've ever read.

07 Jun 2014 07:31:07
Younger and faster doesn't make a player better. I think Lallana is more suited to the way we play and will be more useful to us as he can play a number of positions in a number of systems. Shaqiri plays one and one way only; as a wide player and we rarely play with width.

Yaya Toure operated as a DM at Barcelona, he now plays a very different AM role at Man City.

John Barnes, if I remember rightly, could either play as a winger or out and out striker.

Most of the best players in the world can operate in multiple positions. Left, right. through the middle. Ronaldo, Bale, Messi.

You're changing a strength into a weakness which is just nonsense to me.

Agree, I wouldn't pay 30Mill for him. ED001 states repeatedly Lallana has rejected a number of top teams multiple times. It's not for team's want to sign, it's because until now the lad hasn't wanted to leave.

I have lots of friends who are Leeds United fans and they have watched Lallana for a long time and have raved about him. A friend from uni from Soton raved about him.

Just because you have only just heard of him does not mean he isn't brilliant.

I don't remember anybody comparing him to Messi or Ronaldo.

Mikey
If you were old enough to watch the great John Barnes play for us you would remember he was signed as a left winger, moved up front and eventually excelled in central midfield when he lost a bit of pace
Completely the opposite to what your point was!

So mickey you'd rather us wait until he has a few more good seasons in the prem? So his value will go up even further? More clubs after him, etc. We bought Henderson on potential and up until this season he had only shown small glimpses but this season he has been vital for us. I know we paid around 20m for him but let's compare lallana for 30m to fellaini for 27m looks like a steal then! Not a great example I know but I think for the lallana transfer it's this summer or never due to his age.

06 Jun 2014 20:14:53
Everybody is talking about selling johnson and I completely agree he can't defend for toffee, but why has he never played as a winger? I think he would make a brilliant wide player as long as he had less defensive duties. What are your thoughts?

I think he falls into an all rounder on the right. I don't think his defence is good enough but because of his attacking attributes, he's been the best option most of the time. When he's on form, no problem. He's not good enough to just we a winger as his crossing is generally poor. I think he should get more credit than he does from most on here but at the very least he needs string competition for his possition, which hopefully will be Flano next season

Maybe because not all good wingers are just fullbacks who can't defend.

If GJ is in a red shirt next season then I will be hacked off.
The time for excuses have now passed, and as sure as eggs are eggs, he will continue to be a liability.
As he was against Peru, almost gifting them an equaliser on 2 occasions. (playing their forward onside as his mind drifted elsewhere & losing the ball through sheer panic at not knowing what to do)

He is lazy, coupled with the 'I don't really care' type look constantly plastered on his boat race is becoming tedious.

There is less than a 50/50 chance that he will produce something worthwhile when on the ball.
There is therefore, more than a 50/50 chance that he will give it away!

I watched every minute, of every game last season (bar one), and I have loved every second, but time and again he has made me want to scoop out my eyes with a spoon.

With only 11 men on the pitch, one weak link will cost us dearly next season, and we all know how costly a dropped point or two can be.

He will also be a liability for England!

sivy1001

I think because a good winger should protect his defensive players also and as a winger it would be added excuse not to have to track back at all

07 Jun 2014 10:27:19
To add that he gives the ball away more than any player, simple passes or just silly knocks over to nowhere, if he's not doing that he's falling over himself!

Is that any red shirt sivy or just a Liverpool one? I'd love to see man u with the dilemma of Johnson, Jones, smalling in defence :D

06 Jun 2014 20:11:41
Question for the other posters: What do you think of Shaqiri as a player? He seems quite skillful and pacy, but watching videos (which only show the good bits) still point to a lack of end product.

07 Jun 2014 07:29:29
You summed him up.

07 Jun 2014 11:11:49
That is the perfect summary of Shaqiri so far.
Given the chance with us and how we play, he would excel under Brendan Rodgers and reach his potential.

06 Jun 2014 20:08:52
Liverpool lose two more coaches to chelsea.

Lets hope we keep the open top bus then

Is that another 2, or have you mixed up the 2 that have gone to city

They needed another two coaches to park when we play them this year

06 Jun 2014 19:28:18
With Hyppia Brighton manager I hope he signs a couple of our youngsters whether on loan or permanent.

By permanent I'm meaning the likes of Coady, Yesil, Robinson etc.

Possible loans Ibe, Teixera, Wisdom, Rossiter etc.

Would be a good loan move for Yesil as he's a very good player but injures have hampered him in recent seasons, I have no doubt that Yesil can be a top striker.

Texieria would also benefit massively from a loan playing regular first team football competitively rather than under 21 football.

Hope Sami Hyypia does a great job at Brighton. Good Luck!

I'd keep yesil he will help Can settle.

We should send a few young defenders to brighton

07 Jun 2014 07:28:26
I doubt Yesil would want to hang around in England. he will likely move back to Germany.

I love all these neat solutions that people come up with.

All the kids on loan to Brighton to help old Sami

Keep a German of Turkish descent around the place to hold the hand of the new boy

Sell Aspas so Rickie can have the number 9 shirt because it would mean a lot to him

Shoot all the QPR players before the playoff final so Derby would come up and Andre could stay on loan and get Prem experience and Derby would be so grateful they'd sell us Hughes for £2.50.

I love this stuff. All complete nonsense of course.

Anfieldboy I'd sell aspas for any reason really. THAT corner being one of them.

06 Jun 2014 19:19:42
Good luck to the big fin, all the best for next season sammi, would have been good to see you as defensive coach at anfield next season, but i'm sure he's going to do well at brighton

Absolutely, best of luck to him, he deserves it. What's the odds of being drawn against Brighton in one of the cups now?

06 Jun 2014 18:35:46
Just an opinion but if Suarez was to leave this summer I'd prefer he went to Barcelona and not Madrid.
Couple of reason for this being:

I would be interested see how good him and Messi link up.
They have better players to include in any deal.

if he were to leave for Barca I'd be asking for both Sanchez and Montoya with cash on top roughly 60 million.

06 Jun 2014 18:56:25
Hope he stays but agree with jones post of his exit if it happens.

06 Jun 2014 19:00:35
Ronaldo is far better person than Messi. He has the list of players fallen out with Messi.

We was on the brink of winning the premier league, closest we've ever ever been, who in the right mind would even consider selling out Best player? He isn't going mate and not £100million + Sanchez would change that

Sanchez and montoya plus 60m!seriously how much do think suarez is worth

Not a hope of all three!

06 Jun 2014 19:27:45
Jessie

How much is the 24 years of wait worth?. He is worth that in terms of money. 4 signings and We would win it next season.

06 Jun 2014 19:29:57
Young want get anymore than 95 million for him in my opinion.

We wouldn't get more than 90-95 million for him. Can't base it on previous transfers.

Anyway both Montoya and Sanchez plus 60 million is a great deal

Don't get me wrong I'd rather he stay this is hypothetically if he left.

If he goes it'll be c70m to Madrid. I can't help thinking our early business means its more likely he'll go. Just a feeling.

I agree with DBol.

If we have ANY ambition we must keep Suarez.

He is a genius beyond comprehension. He does not even need pace, he is sublime. I reckon when he's 35 he'll be even better than he is now.

He can help make us into a team to stand alongside the greats of football history.

The likes of Sanchez and Montoya are good players, very good even.

But they are not fit to lace Suarez's boots. I wouldn't sell Luis for £100m, he can ensure we are compete at the top of the European game for the next decade, that is worth more than anyone can offer us.

We must build a squad to help Luis, not sell him.

Blasphemy, I say. Blasphemy! Damn you all to hell! :)

Just remember however much we get for him (if he goes and I think he will) addition players have additional signing on fees and wages so don't think we will have £100+ million to spend on players.

I've said it yesterday - I think we should aim for the same targets and then add maybe Sanchez and a new Striker (although Morato might be an option if Real Madrid sign Suarez) if he does go.

Anfield boy is much closer to what Madrid value him at than any other poster has been.

Why are some fans even thinking of suarez leaving, if some one from his family or close friends reads these posts it would look like some fans want to sell him for other players and money the last I heard suarez saying is he is not going any where we should be building our team around him, or getting more players like him in, again the man himsel has said he is not going any where, and for dome fans who are wondring here we are getting the money from then look at how much BR was going to be given for transfers then add the money from finishing 2nd then add money from some players we sell, and yes eds I do know money from where we finished and from player sales goes into running the club, higher wages and other things, but not all of it and by where we finished added a lot more money to the transfer fund, its simple if we want to win things then we keep our best players and one of the best players on the planet,

Mickeyb

Taking anyone's statements in football at face value is a bit naive. Suarez is in his prime and he's helped us back into CL and we won't be that close to the title next season. If Madrid make an acceptable offer he will be off like a shot. From LFCs point of view there is a narrow window when they can maximise their investment in LS. This summer his value is at its highest. Last summer we were talking 40m (sensible people were) and this summer 70m (forget higher valuations). He will always want to leave for Madrid or Barca so this speculation would just continue window after window. This year is the optimum time to sell. Suspect Soton know our desperation will rise as we get closer to the end of the WC. Rodgers wants Lallana as part of the replacement plan I believe. I also suspect Markovich & Son are left-sided attacking options should we sell LS. As far as an out and out goal-getter as well then Lukaku may be an option, Rodrigo possibly. Another pointer toward LS exit is the seemingly huge wage increases mooted for Sturridge and Sterling which suggests we are nailing them down tight.

I would like Suarez to stay. if he doesn't it would be foolish to say we won't miss him. however I would hope that however much money Liverpool receives for him will be spent wisely.

06 Jun 2014 18:10:50
Interesting to read that Moreno has said he knows nothing about his move to Liverpool and he is under contract and committed to playing for Sevilla.

Suppose he has to say that though until its a "done deal".

06 Jun 2014 17:15:01
Tom ince free agent any interest in him eds?

06 Jun 2014 17:45:12
For free and on low wages I would take him. He won't come back to Liverpool though because he is advised by his father and he won't get first team football week in week out.

No thanks, he is nowhere near good enough. Ibe has more potential than Ince. Not to mention his attitude and his father's also.

Red Rum

And he'd start for inter? He's not as good as he thinks he is!

06 Jun 2014 19:02:26
Anyone could start for Inter.

Inter are shocking at the moment. I think Ince could be a good buy for them

07 Jun 2014 07:26:21
No, we have better players coming through.

Looks an Everton signing to me. He'd do well under Bobby Martinez.

06 Jun 2014 16:01:09
Edd002, can I ask while you get back to me on accomo what your.l daughter studied at college? If you dont.mind mate or if its too intrusive' thanks

{Ed002's Note - She studied Law (but not in London) and is a lawyer in the television business. I spoke with her and she says that you daughter needs to know that London is unlike most university towns so it does not have typical student areas with affordable property, restaurants, bars etc.. She thinks halls might be best until she finds her footing and then share with others she meets at college and it should be a mixed house. She says stay away from South London and if she goes over the river go no further than Kennington as the tube is 80% North of the Thames. She suggests the last remaining affordable area with good transport links is Acton. And that was pretty much it (aside from a message for her mother that made no sense to me). I am not sure that helps much.}

Big Al, I just posted this below your previous query:

Based on this--'She will be.looking through extras so she.could end up in any.university in london'--I would think carefully about what you're planning to do. It sounds like your daughter hasn't actually applied anywhere yet. That means she will have to go through clearing. Most worthwhile undergraduate courses at London universities will already be fully subscribed. Unless she has three straight As at A-Level (in which case universities are free to accept her onto otherwise fully subscribed courses, without prior application—if they want to), it looks like she intends to choose among any remaining courses that will take her.

This is a really bad idea. For almost all courses the fees will be £9k per year. Is she really happy to study something she’s not really interested in, and pay £27k plus living costs (I can’t see any way these will be anything under £600 per month, no matter how many people she shares with) for the privilege? You’re looking at debt of close to £50k at the end of a three-year course, minus any money she’s been able to earn—which won’t be a lot, if she’s planning to spend any time studying.

It would be much better to take 2014-15 as a gap year, spend some or all of it in London, earning some money via bar work etc to pay as much of the cost of living as she can, and meanwhile think through her options carefully. Then she can apply for a course she seriously wants to do—having taken into consideration whether it’s worth the money.

Sorry if I’ve misunderstood something and you know all this, but I’d hate to see you making a mistake that could burden you or your daughter with massive debt for decades. Best of luck whatever she decides to do.

I'm one of the batch of students paying 9k per year and suggest your daughter researches her intended course thoroughly because many deem it to be more cons than pros ATM.

I'd also recommend she spends freshers year in hall - the best atmosphere and easily the most affordable. Then move on to a house share with other students in student residence.

Hope it helps a little.

06 Jun 2014 18:20:28
Ed002 thanks an.absolute million mate and.lemon!
To me it.doesnt look realistic for her. She absolutely loves the city but not being from there and the.costs I am going to have to persuade her stay here or see how things pan.out. i'm going to have to tell her all this but maybe somewhere outside london in.England. London just.looks completely hectic for me and.i don't think.shed cope with the pressure. Thanks again!

{Ed002's Note - It has to be a balance man but as a parent you need to let go when trust has been achieved. You trust her and she fouls up, you need to work to ensure it is her problem. You then make it right but not tell her. She will figure it out in the end. And it will be fine.}

Acton is a nice friendly area compared to the centre, lots of Aussies and plenty of suburban houses. I've been a few times and it is very nice

07 Jun 2014 07:25:37
I lived in West Acton last year while I was working and it is a nice place. Fairly easy and quick to get to Hammersmith or Ealing Broadway. Plenty of tube stations, most of them are Central Line, again making journey to Central London easy (about 40 minutes from North Acton); and at least 2 overground stations.

Good, and affordable for a student.

Lived in London for 10 years north and south of the river! I hated it! Too expensive by far. Students have to be nuts to study there. A student will have a much higher quality of life studying in one of the surrounding counties. There is also the option of a train ride into London for days/nights out!

Big Al,

I have been in your daughter's situation not long ago. Luckily for me I got on the course I wanted, unluckily for me it turned out I hated the course and wish I'd done something else. However, the fees were not £9K a year like for your daughter.

Right now buddy, it is a difficult situation. When I think of the amount of money I have spent from being 18-26 on fees and living expenses I could be a 100K+ house owner (mortgage paid!)

If she has her heart set on uni, then here is some of my advise regarding which university she picks. I have multiple friends who live, study and have studied in London and there really isn't a ''collective community feel'' anywhere really. It's a large black hole. Most other universities in England/U.K might be more suitable if she is looking for that aspect of university life. Loughborough, Lincoln, Liverpool (ofcourse) spring to mind (going with the L's).

Universities are once again built on money making (like everything else); the issue was because they became too accessible, nowadays having a degree is not rare as it once was. Therefore employer's begun to look at the classification and type of degree.
This is part of the reason why I have studied for a Masters degree.

She would need to consider whether she can see any feasible employment with a degree such as ''history'' and whether it would be worth £27K. A girl who I know has a first in Criminology with Psychology and has only just managed to get a job in a call centre after a year trying to get work.

I don't think it's bad advise for anybody right now (and it's something I wish I had done) for young people to take a year out to work and save some money in prep for uni the following year, and also to seriously think about what they want to do (if they go to uni) and beyond university. Many employer's offer intern-ships and they can be just as valuable (if not more) than university qualifications, nowadays.

Good luck to you both mate.

06 Jun 2014 16:15:16
The Only time, The whole site stood on Caroll was on the final day of the season.
We were jumping. praising. caroll. lols.

06 Jun 2014 16:07:14
Bit of a change of pace eds, will Liverpool be scouting at the world cup (I think the obvious answer is yes but just to make sure) and is this scouting going to be done to identify new targets or to keep tabs on any players we are interested in already? Or both?

{Ed002's Note - I am sure someone will keep an eye on what is happening.}

06 Jun 2014 15:52:04
Ya no what Ed. With what youve said. I fully expect a bid from Madrid and I think he will be gone. Madrid must no what figure it will take. he's 27 now and must feel he will miss the boat soon. Omg how we going to replace him?

06 Jun 2014 14:43:03
I don't know why people are hell bent on selling Lucas. He is good player and we will need him for cover. Remember before his injury he was 1st name on the team sheet.

Unfortunately for Lucas, 2 seasons of injury have cruelled his game to the point now where the team has surpassed what he is able to offer. Enrique is also in the same boat!

Since his injuries he is not though. I hope he stays but only if he can get back to the same level he once was.

06 Jun 2014 16:12:29
If he decide that it is time to go, i'd let him go with my best wishes. But if he is prepared to stay, wait for his chance and play the odd game I consider him (at current, post injury level) a very good squad. If he can get back to his best, I think he is a superb player. And a starter. Remember him before that first injury in (if I remember correctly) that Chelsea game. For me he was just unplayable. So good. I feel sorry for him after all the stick he got - he stayed and proved his critics wrong and just as he was proving his real quality and consistency he got hit by that injury. Now the critics are coming back and I think often they forget what a player he can be and has been. From the outside, he seems to be a nice guy, it seems like he is well liked in the squad and I imagine (speculation I know) that he is not amongst the highest earners. Paired with his current ability and his potential ability I think he is a very good player for our squad. And if he goes, I think we will need a replacement. We'll never know for sure how good the replacement will be. And I do not like the thought of bringing in to many players - 4, maybe 5 okay, but anything above that is to much for my taste.

06 Jun 2014 16:20:37
Kopkings

No one is having a go at Lucas, If wanna keep him do it like with downing and eventually sell at 15 mill loss.

06 Jun 2014 16:34:07
Lavije

I admire your reply, But The best period of Lucas which you mentioned under KK, Was the worst time we played football after Hodgson.
Charlie Adam, Downing, Caroll, Maxi, Henderson were all the names on the pitch. Gerrard was poor. Even Suarez was missing from all sides.
But Today, We have a brilliant team and I don't see any way Lucas getting ahead of anyone unless its an injury.

Ive always backed lucas, but the worst thing that happened to him personally was stevie g playing the holding role this last few months and showing what more someone could do in that position

06 Jun 2014 23:58:28
You are right home fan, we weren't that good when he played at his best and maybe with the kind of football we play now he will never be an automatic starter. I am confusing myself thinking about it - I cannot decide what to think. Maybe, maybe not? But I do feel that it is even more difficult to play at the level he did in a team with the players you where mentioning and the form they where in. So I give him huge credit for that. He was so strong on the ball and he always looked ahead of his opponent in his speed of thought - I think that is what a few years with injury have taken away from him. Unfortunately I think the injuries have broken him beyond repair - I think we will never see the "best" Lucas again. But I do hope so. Theoretically, if he was at his absolute best, like before the injuries, I do not think he would start every game. But I like the idea of a spine: the keeper, one or two centre backs, suarez, gerrard for as long as his legs can carry him. and then the rest rotating depending on the who we play and how we set up. Like the way Allen, Coutinho and Sterling where competing for two places in the latter half of the season. If I could add Lucas Leiva at his best to those 3 players in rotation for two places - i'd be very pleased.

At current ability I still rate him as a very usefull squad player. He will be strong competition for the other players in the same position, reliable if called upon and have the quality to go in and do a job in the odd game or in case of suspensions or injuries, he will add to the quality in training (very important one), he will (hopefully) give encouragement to the starters but show eagerness and ambitions about being a starter, he will be part of a strong and settled group that I think we should be careful of disrupting after a brilliant season and maybe, just maybe - some players manage to get back to their best after long injury lay offs some doesn't - he could become a very important player for us again - in rotation with other very important players.

06 Jun 2014 14:51:41
I like brad jones, I think he's been a great servant to the club, barely played in the years he had been here but never has said a bad word against the club. However, I dread to think if our no1 gets injured in the champions league and we have to start him against one of the big guns. Unless we have a youngster coming through who I haven't heard about, then I just don't see him bring the answer

Great why don't you knock him out and while he's down kick him in the nuts, slag slag slag that's all half of the posters do on here against our own players.

@Reusch
he didn't even slag him off. Brad Jones just isn't of Liverpool quality

Jones is a very, very capable goalkeeper. I'd have no worries.

Brad Jones has never let us down. I hope he plays more games next year, he deserves it.

I'd doubt that any genuine top-class goalkeeper would want to sit as an understudy at any club tbh.

Jones has been very professional and understands his role well. I'm sure he could do a great job as a first choice at a lot of other teams, but he loves LFC and is living his dream.

However, I'd like to see us develop a few good options at youth level. I know that young Ward is thought of as a decent prospect, having been capped for Wales youth sides at all levels.

Does anyone here have any insightful views on who would be the best youth level goalkeeper at the club? Is there anyone that Mignolet might start to worry about a few years down the line?

I haven't exactly slagged him off now have I! The facts are, he's played 8 games in 4 years, can't really say he's been good! There must be something lacking if we haven't even given him a cup run! I'm not suggesting we buy a world class sub, but I'm sure there's someone with a little more experience. The likes of brad friedel is sub for spurs and he has been a top goaly for years! Okay yes maybe we need someone a bit younger but I'm sure there are similar players out there to sit as number 2 until a youth player is ready, just in case out number 2 gets an injury

06 Jun 2014 14:05:00
Liverpool will play Borussia Dortmund in August and the following players
Hummels
Subotic
Bender
Mkhitaryan
Gundogan
Reus
Aubameyang
Will all play the first half for Dortmund and the second half for Liverpool after they all sign 5 year deals at half time

{Ed002's Note - Sorry Chris, but at least two of those players will be gone from Dortmund by then. The others I agree will.}

Apparently they will take Aspas Lucas skrtel Johnson and mignolet as a direct swap, and they will give is an added 15 million for agger

That old rumour chestnut Chris, they play the first half for the other team and second half for us after signing at half time. Has that actually ever happen I wonder? (Eds?). No doudt there will be smoke canisters thrown on to the pitch to to create a smoke screen so that we could sign some extra players without the ever watchful eyes of the Spurs scouts.

{Ed002's Note - It happens many times each year in the eyes of Liverpool supporters.}

No Ed you only THINK 2 of these will be gone, that is actually a smokescreen

{Ed002's Note - At least two Chris.}

Players most likely to leave are hummels, reus, gundogan

{Ed002's Note - Two out of three isn't bad.}

I imagine Ayre and Brendan will have the van sorted, so that the smokescreen hides us chucking the Dortmund team into the van and forcing them to sign.

Mamadou Sakho will provide the muscle, and if that fails to intimidate then Coutinho will have to perform a rendition of Westlife's "Flying Without Wings" until they surrender and sign.

06 Jun 2014 13:15:22
Red Dawn

I read your post at Southampton page regarding Lallana. He would be the best player in England for the next 6/7 years?
He is 26, Who was the last player with good dribbling skills and movment at 34?

Giggs could still run past the odd player, and showed decent movement and he was 39. Just because there haven't been a plethora of players who have been technically boss at 34 doesn't mean Lallana doesn't have the capacity to do it. He doesn't rely on speed, so basically when he hits his peak he'll just have improved the technical aspects of his game even more, he might slow down a little bit more going into his 30s but doesn't mean he wouldn't still be able to get past a few players with his ability.

JFT 96

JP

Doesn't have to have good dribbling skills at 34. Gerrard does a hell of a job for Liverpool, as Lampard did for Chelsea.

A player's game can adapt over time and I think Lallana has the skills to adapt, like Gerrard has, especially with BR's influence.

If he is 26 then in the next 6/7 years he will be 32, 33.

Ribery will turn 32 and Robben will turn 31 during next season.

They are pretty decent dribblers with good movement.

Lets face it lallana is neither ribery nor robben.

I am nearly 60 and for years, well into my 50s, my dribbling skills were great. Ended up being told to wipe my chin to avoid getting a rash

06 Jun 2014 16:11:03
Hyach

I agree, Lallana had just a season, Ribery and Robben have been at the top of their game from years.

Out with the calculator there I'd say Harry

Harry lallana had more then1 good season hence why we tried to sign him before

Haych

The question was:

"Who was the last player with good dribbling skills and movment at 34?"

I wasnt comparing Lallana to them.

I was pointing out that players in their early to mid 30's can still play their usual game if its based on dribbling and movement.

Gianfranco Zola and Peter Beardsley were still fantastic at 34.

Johan Cruyff too (but he was a god, not a player).

Giggs was less than average at 34, his relationship with/loyalty to Fergie let him stay much longer than his ability as a player merited. His 'dribbling' was rarely a feature of his overly cautious approach at the time.

Some players get better with age.

Pace isn't everything, but a lot of the best players rely on it heavily. Ronaldo, Messi and Bale certainly do, though they would undoubtedly still be good players without it.

In the case of Suarez, I reckon that he will improve with age.

He could nutmeg a lamp-post.

Lucky us eh!

As for Lallana. He's not on the same level as any of the players mentioned. I can't see him as a regular for LFC at 34.

Just being honest. A player needs to be pretty special to be a regular for a top side at that age.

Lallana is a good player, but he isn't special.

06 Jun 2014 12:01:31
McGoveb, I saw yesterday you want us to sign a British centre back. Who would you choose though? There aren't many to choose from.

Cahill, Terry, Jagielka, Caulker, Smalling, A.Williams (Welsh) and that's it. I'd love Cahill, but that won't happen. Terry is too old. Jagielka is too injury prone. Caulker is good but is he any better than Kelly/Wisdom? Smalling is awful and a Man U player. A.Williams is not much better (if at all) than Skrtel.

I agree that in the past Britain has always had the best centre backs. Terry, Ferdinand, Carragher, S.Campbell, Adams, Thompson, Hansen, Lawro, Moore etc. Britain tend to produce good defenders in general. However the current crop is pretty average Cahill aside. So who would you want?

I am of the opinion that Lovren or Chedjou are the best players for our system right now who might be attainable (might being the key word). Varane would be possible if we got him as part of a Suarez sale? I'd take Varane along with some cash (that I'd use to buy Sanchez) for Suarez, but I doubt everybody would agree.

I think we just need a leader at the back who is powerful and reads the game well, preferably with some pace. Ilori isn't ready to be relied on yet in my opinion. If the centre back we sign is younger than Sakho I think he could be the leader. It's always awkward for younger players shouting at people older than them though. If the player is older than Sakho though, they simply have to be a leader of men. Lovren is made to partner Sakho in my opinion though and whilst Varane would be the dream signing, it isn't going to happen without some casualties at the other end of our team.

Interested to hear your reply though mate.

06 Jun 2014 12:38:26
If I had the chance, Cahill for me. I think He has been chelsea's best signing. Superb player, Very humble.

Hi, first time poster here. Enjoyed reading the site for a while and have been meaning to join and post, and this post I've decided to reply to.

I disagree about Britain having the best centre backs, in my opinion the best centre backs have always come from Italy. Baresi, Cannavaro, Nesta, Scirea, Rava, Gentile, Ferrara, Costacurta, Rosetta, Bergomi, is I think a much better collection than England or Britain could put together.

I'm also pleased with the balance we have with UK and foreign players, so don't think we need to go for a British player in particular for any position, unless of course one is available and good enough.

Finally, hello again and I hope to have a good few convos with you all and a bit of banter along the way!

06 Jun 2014 13:02:14
Totti is a legend. When asked about joining another club, He said " I have had offers from Real twice, But I rejected it both. I was taught at school, When your parents grow old, you wouldn't replace them with anyone else, Instead you remain with them."

I agree Harry. Cahill is completely unattainable though. There is literally zero chance Chelsea will sell him.

I do apologise Totti as I completely agree with you. "Best" was the wrong word. Whilst Britain has always produced 'great' centre backs, you are very right that Italy have by and large had the best. (West) Germany have had their fair share as well, including the best ever defender in my opinion, Beckenbaur. A very good point though and I also agree with you that we don't necessarily need to buy British. I'd be more than happy with just a player who fits the system and is better than what we curretnly have.

06 Jun 2014 13:28:11
YNWAdam�

Nice one mate. I was alos dissapointed, We didn't go for Johnes. He too would have been an excellent signing.
Chelsea signed Cahil for 7 mill. Its a steal. Excellent defender.

{Ed001's Note - if you mean Phil Jones, we did go for him and agreed a deal with Blackburn, but he rejected us to join United.}

06 Jun 2014 13:31:56
Whats Totti got to do with centre halves? confused!

The only English / British centre halves worth their salt, in world terms, over the past couple of generations are Campbell, Ferdinand, King (if it wasn't for injuries). Can't think of anyone else.
The common denominator - pace.
Phil Jones could be, for me, just playing in the wrong team (club and national).
If he was Brazilian, he'd be at Barca or Real.

I don't really rate Phil Jones as a defender. I think he's an English David Luiz. Looks a good defender on paper but just cannot apply it. Like Luiz, I think he's better when he's played in midfield. I certainly wouldn't want him in my defence though. He was all over the place against Ecuador!

06 Jun 2014 14:29:29
YNWAdam

Against Equador, Luke shaw looked like a reserve player and Milner was terrible at its very best. Smallling looke another poor player.
The only stood out was Oxlde and Barkley.

Haha like it.
EMS, if by central defender you mean sits deep, Alamo-style last ditch, heads everything out, then OK.
But you're about to see higher line centre halves that can bring the ball out, run and play, have athletic full backs either side of them, and a technical but industrial midfield in front.
Roy Hodgson is England's Ally MacLeod. Lol.

Really like, Jones is no where near the level to play at Barcelona and Madrid. His failure to kick on is seen as one of the reasons behind Uniteds poor season. Just because a defender has pace doesn't make him a world beater, on top of this slow players can still play with a high line.

06 Jun 2014 11:19:33
Not really a rumour, but a friend of mine out in Miami has been told unequivocally that no deals for the England players will be discussed with the players themselves until after the World Cup, but that a number of agents and representatives have been left with responsibility to try and get as much as possible sorted as possible if sales have been agreed between clubs. In some cases leaving only the signature to be appended to the bottom of the contract if possible.

Don't for one minute think that just because the World Cup is happening that business stalls, we are just unlikely to hear about it until afterwards.

06 Jun 2014 10:29:18
Recent word is that Ayre has been in Barcelona trying to negotiate a deal for either Sanchez or Pedro, eventhough these deals have been seen as a 'long shot'. However, it seems we are willing to include Agger as a makeweight in the deal. Juventus are the other team involved with Sanchez but they aren't willing to go above 18m, which means am sure we could easily beat that offer. You know anything about this?

{Ed002's Note - Twitter is this? See earlier answers.}

06 Jun 2014 12:30:08
Ed002, It is Kike Marin. I don't know if he is reliable.

{Ed002's Note - I have no idea what that means - but I don't want people asking us about things the read on Twitter. The Liverpool page is being dragged down enough already.}

06 Jun 2014 10:16:09
I think it would only be right to comment on how Southampton are dealing with this summer so far.

All this talk of them "refusing to negotiate" or "holding us to ransom" is total "rubbish" as the Eds would put it.

The club have acted incredibly admirably throughout.

They have said they are waiting for a manager to come in before getting to business with transfers, they have set a price for their players and they have stuck to it, no messing around just "pay it or don't."

Then just to top it all, they make an exception for an immensely hard working player who has given his all for them, to live out his childhood dream and move home. They didn't have to do that.

Fair play to Southampton, truly impressed with the way they are conducting themselves.

I really hope we do get Lallana, I think he will be one of England's best players for 6/7 years, but either way I wish Soton all the best.

06 Jun 2014 10:30:05
We shouldn't be botherd, What they do with him. If none matches their Valuation They would have an unhappy player with them, And with No CL next seaosn, We would get him at half price next seaosn.
He is brilliant, surrounded with some real quality players and with a good attack minded manager. let's see If he replicates next seaosn under a new manager with almsot half of the squad would be off.

{Ed002's Note - Half price eh?}

Did you copy and paste this from 3 days ago?

You should post this a few times more. I don't think 2 or 3 times is enough so far ;-)

06 Jun 2014 12:29:24
Yes, Pato for ex

06 Jun 2014 12:58:26
Why's Pato an example?

Thanks for replying everyone, for info I only sent this once, not my fault if it has been posted twice.

Cheers all

06 Jun 2014 13:30:26
ART

AC Milan snubbed big money offers for Pato and In 12 months, he was out of favour at Milan due to injuries and was entually sold to Brazil.

Whys that the same? He went back to brazil because he wasn't good enough for Milan because his injuries affected him?! He wasn't the best player in his team chased by other clubs in the last year? In no way does that relate to lallana unless he gets injured frequently then I'm sure clubs would lose interest him him then.

06 Jun 2014 09:54:11
Acc to tuttosport (Italian)
Juventus have a agreed a 4 year deal with Sanchez worth €4m a year. Only £65k a week. But they aren't willing to pay more than 18million.

Surely its worth a try? We could give bigger wages and offer a higher fee and include Anger/Reina in the deal.
Ian Are is reportedly in Barca right now, so there's a chance.

{Ed002's Note - You need to ignore all of these numbers and some naïve idea that Barcelona would want Liverpool's cast offs.

There has been interest from Juventus in Sanchez and there is no secret that his agent has confirmed that they would be willing to meet the terms that the player desires. However, they are far from agreeing a figure with Barcelona for the sale - very far indeed. The figure that Barcelona want is beyond the means of Juventus unless they sell Vidal or Pogba.

If Mr Ayre is in Barcelona talking about Sanchez it will likely be as a replacement for Suarez. Would that be OK?}

06 Jun 2014 10:47:19
Are Real going to be able to make a realistic offer for LFC?
Usually there biggest signings (Bale Ronaldo Beckham Figo) are ones which can bring in a lot of commercial revenue (shirt sales/advertising) but Suarez isn't a very popular player throughout the world and comes with a bad reputation.

{Ed002's Note - You should stay clear of all financial and commercial stuff. They will certainly be making an offer.}

I like the idea of including Anger with the deal, throw in some venom, and bile, and maybe these boards would be a lot easier to manage for the Eds.

Like Lallana at Southampton. Suarez has a long contract with us and for us to accept a bid it needs to be a world record. So with that kinda money i'd take it. We can bye Sanchez, Varane, Lovren, Lallana, Clyne and Begovic to add to Moreno, Lambert and Can for e.g.

{Ed002's Note - Another year of transition then.}

06 Jun 2014 12:25:32
Sound just like a Spurs fan from last year, Chris T!

I can see why BR wants transfers done quickly, but when Suarez is seen to be on his way how many top players will join LFC?

Bad publicity is still, publicity. youd think that the bad reputation he has wouldev made him less popular. well you're wrong.

whether he was good or bad, its up to you to decide, but Hitler is a good example, he has a very bad reputation. But how many people in the world atleast knows his name?

what I said has nothing to do with the transfer, just commenting on mcdevtingz comment.

Hitler and Suarez share many similarities.

06 jun 2014 09:14:04
there's a lot of speculation about our defence at the moment . particularly at cb.
personally speaking, skrtel scares the bejeesus out of me, agger is class but slow and loses his opponent too easily sometimes and glen johnson has always been better going forward but even that quality has started to elude him lately. coates has sadly proven not good enough, toure is bench at best and kelly is made of the finest delicate porcelain.classy but fragile!
assuming we make some big changes in defensive areas this window, i wouldn't complain if we submitted the following as first-teamers for 2014/15;
flanagan(rb/lb), kelly(cb/rb), johnson(rb/lb/m),
sakho(cb), llori(cb), wisdom(cb/rb), moreno(lb/rb), caulker(cb), toure(cb/dm).
i'm assuming we sell enrique, coates, skrtel, agger and maybe a youngster or two over the next two windows.
with a few tweaks we could have a very competent defence and i hope sincerely that we do whatever's needed to make that happen. personally, i think letting steve clarke go was a huge mistake!

Replace Caulker with Lovren and I'd be happy with that.

06 Jun 2014 09:04:33
Good morning Eds and Reds,

Greeting you warm wishes from sunny Kosovo.

Who would you reds rather sign, Lallana or Shaqiri? My opinion is split, I feel both would fit in well. However, as Shaqiri heralds from Kosovo I would love to see us sign him, the Kosovars would go nuts.

On a separate (but linked) note, if we do actually close the deal for Moreno and Can, coupled with Lambert and possibly Lallana/Shaqiri, what a window already. who, if any, would you like to sign?

Does anybody else think we now have a lot of CM's?

Cheers,

Kosovo Joe

06 Jun 2014 09:40:13
I think if we sign one of Lallana/Shaqiri, a Center back and Moreno, that would be it for this summer.

06 Jun 2014 11:46:27
AG , I normally agree with your posts , but we must buy a goalkeeper , we can't possibly start next season with Mignolet and Brad Jones .

06 Jun 2014 07:15:09
Ed002, do you happen to know whether Moreno would be open to a move to us? Thanks.

{Ed002's Note - Yes he is happy with it.}

06 Jun 2014 06:09:38
Back in November 2013, Big Sami Hyypia did an interview talking about our new signing. Which I thought was interesting enough to share on here, in case anyone else hasn't read it.

''He [Can] has everything needed to play in many positions, and he is well on the way to becoming a very good player.

He is incredible with the ball; has great technique, and he is strong in one-on-one situations. He plays better offensively, but he can defend well, and that aspect of his game should not be underestimated.''

''He still has much to learn, though. He needs more patience when making decisions, but he's smart enough to learn that.'' ~ Sami Hyypia on Emre Can.

06 Jun 2014 10:14:26
Sound like a perfect fit for Liverpool and Rodgers. Experienced enough to make a contribution but young enough and willing enough to learn and fulfil potential. I think this will be a blueprint for many Rodgers signings.

06 Jun 2014 03:42:25
Hi ed
Any news regarding shaqiri.

{Ed002's Note - Nothing happened overnight with Shaqiri.}

06 Jun 2014 03:21:59
Hey Everyone,

So Just got some of the best news of my life that I will be interning in London in three months (from US) and now have a couple questions I thought I would ask here.

1) Being in London does anyone have a recommendations for a place to watch Liverpool games next season/anything that I should defiantly make sure I don while i'm there?

2) When can I start trying to get tickets to a game at Anfield and is the best source the Liverpool website if I am a member?

Thanks

06 Jun 2014 06:40:53
Congratulations on the internship.

1. There will be many places to see in London if you are into that kind of thing.

2. Yes, register with the site and I think that the best.

You can ring the ticket-office directly.
My advice is to leave it as late as possible for returns (unwanted seats).
You pay over the phone and collect the ticket from the ticket-office just before the game. Good luck.

05 Jun 2014 23:44:43
Ed, if yous don't mind,, one off.
Any london people here?
My daughters looking to go to uni in london September, though i'd rather she stayed here.in northern ireland!
Just looking at accomodation for her and it.looks appallingly exspensive' anyone know spots where she could afford it or even any eds from london?thanks

{Ed002's Note - I have a daughter who lives in Primrose Hill - I will ask her for any ideas. Try the college web sites and they will have accommodation folk. When I moved here to do a Masters in 81 it was very different and we lived in Chelsea - very different now and I appreciate tough. Remind me tomorrow afternoon.}

I suppose you could try the South, if Queens or Coleraine isn't an option, I wouldn't know much, but I've known a few people to go to Wales and Scotland.

It's very expensive in London mate you won't get anywhere here cheap.

I was also a student in the 1980s (at King's) and though it was very different, my advice would be for her to live in a uni hall of residence for her first year. She and friends will then be able to look to share a flat; some will be advertised only in the uni's accommodation office. That should bring the price down a bit, as, in general, will living further away from the centre. Financially it's extremely tough, but it's still a fantastic place to be a student. Good luck with it.

06 Jun 2014 07:20:44
Ed002, thanks a.million mate!
I highly.doubt my daughter will live in primerose hill unless I win the lotto, I will tomorrow, thanks mate

{Ed002's Note - Yes, Primrose Hill is really pricey but she is fortunate and can afford to live where she wants. I left a voicemail for her last night about this, but I am not sure if she is in England right now.}

I live in London, it is all prety expensive compared to the rest of the country. If you know which uni she is looking at going to I will suggest some areas.

06 Jun 2014 06:38:11
I think you need to take into account the travel costs and time it takes to travel too; especially if you live a long way away from the University. Depending on where you live, it will likely cost around 90 quid for travel a month if you use the tube.

When I was working in London, I stayed about 30 minutes from the company I used to work for, in West London, walked to work everyday and saved an estimated 1000 pounds a year (which was a lot to me).

Accommodation will be expensive pretty much everywhere but I would suggest to live closer to the University if possible; you don't want your daughter to compromise on education. When I went to University in Newcastle, I could get a double room for 180 pounds/m but in London, a box room would cost 500 pounds/m.

Good luck to your daughter.

Everything lemonhead said - I'm currently studying at city but have to travel from Kingston daily cause I couldn't afford living more centrally, although to be fair when you add up the travel expenses it's not cheap either

{Ed002's Note - I know of the Oyster card, but do students get a break on travel in London?}

My daughter is also starting at uni in September. she'll be based at St.Georges Tooting but will do stuff at Kings aswell. She's looking at a place in upmarket Fulham which is secure and all-inclusive of bills for £150 p.w.
I think it is a halls of residence mainly occupied by Kings College students.

{Ed002's Note - Maybe a group of them can get together and rent somewhere? Part of the problem is that they won't be in any hip designer area (which is seemingly most of London (except the South East).}

06 Jun 2014 09:32:38
Yes, students get a discount I believe, but is is a different sort of Oyster Card, with your picture and everything. I remember my ex- girlfriend constantly using this; always topping up with my money.

{Ed002's Note - I had the same problem with your girlfriend.}

Thanks for all the replys gentlemen!
My daughters.going to london on her own, all of her friends are staying here.i.believe'
She will be.looking through extras so she.could end up in any.university in london. She might have to get a job whilst juggling uni taking into account travel costs and.food'
Thanks edd002, whenever you get time mate!

{Ed002's Note - She hasn't called yet but both girls did bar work whilst at college - I wasn't living in England for most of the time they were at university. I'll let you know what she says.}

06 Jun 2014 10:31:23
So you are the fat old person my ex is going out with now?

She doesn't think you are particularity good in bed Ed002; she implied she wanted discreet services from me without your knowledge.

I am happy she has found her women

{Ed002's Note - Sure sounds like me. Why not buy the DVD and see for yourself?}

Big Al, based on this--'She will be.looking through extras so she.could end up in any.university in london'--I would think carefully about what you're planning to do. It sounds like your daughter hasn't actually applied anywhere yet. That means she will have to go through clearing. Most worthwhile undergraduate courses at London universities will already be fully subscribed. Unless she has three straight As at A-Level (in which case universities are free to accept her onto otherwise fully subscribed courses, without prior application—if they want to), it looks like she intends to choose among any remaining courses that will take her.

This is a really bad idea. For almost all courses the fees will be £9k per year. Is she really happy to study something she’s not really interested in, and pay £27k plus living costs (I can’t see any way these will be anything under £600 per month, no matter how many people she shares with) for the privilege? You’re looking at debt of close to £50k at the end of a three-year course, minus any money she’s been able to earn—which won’t be a lot, if she’s planning to spend any time studying.

It would be much better to take 2014-15 as a gap year, spend some or all of it in London, earning some money via bar work etc to pay as much of the cost of living as she can, and meanwhile think through her options carefully. Then she can apply for a course she seriously wants to do—having taken into consideration whether it’s worth the money.

Sorry if I’ve misunderstood something and you know all this, but I’d hate to see you making a mistake that could burden you or your daughter with massive debt for decades. Best of luck whatever she decides to do.