Summer Transfer Window

[the dude abides]

Yep, I remember that like it was yesterday. 

At the time I felt Dalglish was the right appointment, but that line of thought was based on previous glories when I was a wee whipper snapper and viewed football through the eyes of a kid.  You were 100% spot on Dude with your analysis and I fear you will be correct again in regards to Brenda.

I hope that I am wrong, Tes.

I want the new guy to succeed.  But, like you and others in here, we bring a fair bit of experience (and knowledge) to the table.    Historically, no-one of his young age, (i.e. in their 30s) has ever succeeded at a top club in England.  Indeed, I am lost to think of anyone (apart from AVB at chelsea) of his age who has even been appointed at a top club before (in england).   

Rodgers is the type of guy that an Aston Villa, a Newcastle or a Spurs would have gone after (in the past).  In other words, someone who had displayed early potential in a young career, most often in a lower division.

re Dalglish.  The lad took over a supertanker, in 1985, that was sweeping all before it.   We were a power-house of success.  We bossed Europe.  It took him 5 or 6 years to turn it around.  Eventually, he managed to make enough bad decisions (e.g. Aldridge, Beardsley), as to initiate the ending of our era of dominance.  We brought in, during the late 80s, star performers.  The likes of John Barnes needed little management......you just gave him the ball.   

Dalglish should have never managed Liverpool at any time in it's history.  He was, quite simply, never good enough.   The super-tanker, that we were in the 80s, hurtled on and remained successful in the second half of the 80s, DESPITE Dalglish, not because of him.

Bobby Robson was always my preference (in 1985 and later).  Ferguson and Toshack were two other favourites of mine, at the time. 

 
 

[the dude abides]

The great Alfonso Bedoya   

Always reminds me of that time Masch got sent off against United  :

www.youtube.com/watch?v=abYVMftzTjE#t=1m50s

makes me actually misty eyed (seriously) watching that video (when I see the top personnel like Mascherano and Benitez, that we only recently had at the club).

[barticus]

By the way heres Pachecos tweet at being left out, model professional as always;

"unfortunately I'm not involved for the match on Thursday. I will keep working. Always. One day it will come"

Bravo on Pacheco...similar thing from Carroll where 'the powers that be' seem to have accepted the loan deal to West Ham (are we a feeder club for the hammers now?) but he's said feck that for a game of soldiers and wants to stay and fight for a place...
Hmm there seems to be a similar theme here as well under kenny...maxi and kuyt exasperated at their treatment get forced out even though they want to stay...

to quote Alphonse Karr...'the more things change the more things stay the same...'

Not all is lost...at least we have the ever present Carra...

[barticus]

'Various reports suggest that Joe Allen has agreed terms with Liverpool with a 'source' telling the South Wales Evening Post that the deal will "set him up for life".

The two clubs are yet to agree a fee but Liverpool have apparently offered £12.5m and Jonjo Shelvey on loan.'

Glad Allen is coming for football reasons then...

[Juan]

 

'Various reports suggest that Joe Allen has agreed terms with Liverpool with a 'source' telling the South Wales Evening Post that the deal will "set him up for life".

The two clubs are yet to agree a fee but Liverpool have apparently offered £12.5m and Jonjo Shelvey on loan.'

Glad Allen is coming for football reasons then...

 

Ive always dreamed of being stinking rich playing for Liverpool!

[Juan]

to quote Alphonse Karr...'the more things change the more things stay the same...'

Not all is lost...at least we have the ever present Carra...

Alphonse Karr, that lad was way before his time!

If he was around to put some of his quotes in a memo he would have been in with a good shout for the Liverpool job! 

[Tes]

At least we're consistent. This transfer window is proving no less head-scratching than many recent previous ones.

You'd hope for once we'd learn from mistakes, not turn them into a routine.

[Tes]

Liverpool Join Tottenham In Chase For Porto Winger

Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are hunting Porto’s Christian Atsu, as both clubs seek to provide depth to their wide areas.
 

It was Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas who originally promoted the lively winger to Porto’s first team during his tenure at the Portuguese club, and the former Chelsea boss is interested in bringing the rapid wide man to north London, following an impressive spell out on loan to Rio Ave last campaign, Metro report.

 

Liverpool are monitoring the 20-year-old winger’s progress, following his impressive season at the Portuguese minnows, where he bagged six goals in 27 appearances. Brendan Rodgers’ penchant for swift, incisive wide players, as was evident during his tenure at Swansea, suggests he may look to strengthen that area of his team, following the sale of Maxi Rodriguez earlier in the summer and Stewart Downing’s poor form last season.


According to the Metro, Porto will allow the Ghanaian to go out on a season-long loan with an option to buy afterwards, but both Liverpool and Tottenham are keen to take the player on a permanent basis.


http://sportsvibe.co.uk/news/football/liverpool-join-tottenham-in-chase-for-porto-winger-18967/

What's wrong with 'try before you buy'? Take the player on loan, see if he can adapt to and cope with the PL and settle in the area, deal with wonderful British climate et, etc.
It avoids a potentially expensive mistake and avoids parking someone else on the payroll who we can't shift.

[Juan]

What is this club playing at?

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11669/7958270


Agger absence sparks rumours
Agent bemused by snub, but says defender isn't looking for move

Daniel Agger's absence from Liverpool's squad to face Gomel has cast doubt over his future, with his agent revealing that the defender is not injured.

Initial reports suggested that the Danish centre-half was nursing a knock after being left out of Brendan Rodgers' plans for midweek Europa League qualifying duty.

It has, however, emerged that Agger was in contention and that it will be down to the Anfield outfit to explain his lack of involvement.

Manchester City and Barcelona are said to hold an interest in the 27-year-old, with both clubs in the market for defensive reinforcements.

Agger's agent is reluctant to be drawn on the transfer rumours, but is keen to know where his client stands.

"He is not injured in any way," Per Steffensen told Politiken.

"Only the club and the manager can answer to why he is not in the squad."
Nonsense

On the exit reports, and those claiming that Agger is actively looking for a route out of Anfield, Steffensen added: "Liverpool will have to answer to whether they have received any offers.

"But the reports of Agger handing in a transfer request are purely nonsense. He is very happy at Liverpool."

Agger's current deal with Liverpool is due to run until 2014 and Steffensen claims no extension discussions have been held.

He said: "We have not heard from Liverpool with regards to a contract extension."

[Tes]

Sell Dagger for £20M, buy centre half from Swansea who's 23 or under for £18M, paying him half the salary Dagger's on at the moment and therefore avoid increasing the wage bill by giving Dagger a new contract. Rinse and repeat for Skrtel.

If you're two years from the end of your deal, don't expect a new one as you'll be sold instead. 

[barticus]

Sell Dagger for £20M, buy centre half from Swansea who's 23 or under for £18M, paying him half the salary Dagger's on at the moment and therefore avoid increasing the wage bill by giving Dagger a new contract. Rinse and repeat for Skrtel.

If you're two years from the end of your deal, don't expect a new one as you'll be sold instead. 

agger being left out (and not cup tied) means that he will be sold...aka we're fecked... it just gets better...

[Tes]

it just gets better...

Indeed it does.

Aquilani has left, signed a three year deal with Fiorintina and the transfer fee we get is being used to subsidise his wages there for two of those three years, as he had two years left on his contract with us and has taken a 'pay cut' (not by any definition I know) to join Fiorintina.

We plumb new depths constantly when it comes to being sh!t at transfers.

Watch out for our new DVD in 'private shops' entitled 'Anal Anfield - live without lube'.

[the dude abides]

everyone is a risk, but what I find unforgivable is that we do not learn.....we keep making the same mistakes (bringing in people on big money).

it's one thing bringing in a big star (maradona, cruyff, shearer, best, ronaldo, etc) and paying him a king's ransom (which admittedly was never our style during our dominant era).........but it a totally different matter, bringing in mere potential, and paying them big money.

and if I were the club, I would carefully examine our policy towards bringing in free transfers. 

but I think the club is being run by bafoons (since parry left).  The people we should be keeping, we are selling or dismissing.  And the deadwood, or unskilled, that should be sold (or never bought) are still at the club (and often on stupid money).

we are living in a parallel universe, where: up is down, black is white, hero is zero, good is bad.

so let's dismiss kuyt, mereless and maxi (all top drawer, highly experienced, technical players).....and give a contract to shelvey, and big wages to joe cole, and bring in 5 feet 6 inch joe allen, and old man yankee clint dempsey....and some unknown lad, borini.   

bizarre way of running a top organisation, sell your best assets, and replace them with inferior people.

[Ed]

so let's dismiss kuyt, mereless and maxi (all top drawer, highly experienced, technical players).....and give a contract to shelvey, and big wages to joe cole, and bring in 5 feet 6 inch joe allen, and old man yankee clint dempsey....and some unknown lad, borini.   

Get the fella from Swansea to manage us, sing ynwa and hope everything will work fine.

It's rare that i say these things but i actually have little appetite for the coming season and was
seriously thinking about taking a season out. 

[Tes]

It's rare that i say these things but i actually have little appetite for the coming season and was
seriously thinking about taking a season out. 

Ed, it's terrible when it gets that bad.

We're not asking to be winning the league every season. We just want to see things being done correctly and sensibly, the club being run in a way that has it's foundations in reality and good sensible practices, and therefore maximises what we have and our chances of doing as well as all our combined assets allow.

If we're going to sign younger players with potential, that's fine, but pay them salaries consummate with the fact they are not 'established or proven', then let them 'earn the right' to a bigger salary by their levels of performance and improvement and the degree of importance they have developed to the team. Their transfer fee should also reflect their unproven status.

Older players should be bought with a fee that takes account that they have no re-sale value at the end of the contract, and older players should be of a standard to improve on the player that currently plays in their position in the first eleven without question, otherwise what's the point of the purchase as they're hardly likely to improve to that level over time.

'Squad players' should not be purchased, instead they evolve through the natural process of upgrading a first team player (the 'upgraded' player becoming a 'squad player') and young players with potential that we have promoted from the reserves/academy teams and who we are looking to try to progress to becoming at least credible challengers for a first eleven starting place.

We need to have a sensible wage structure and there's nothing wrong with having a wage cap.
We have a finite income, out of which we need to have a finite percentage earmarked for the payroll and as our payroll is finite then having a maximum salary and clearly defined salary structure makes sense.

Free transfer 'purchases' shouldn't be paid 'extra' simply because no fee has been paid out. Their salary package should reflect their likely position/contribution within the squad/first team. Any potential player (or his agent) who doesn't accept that is waved on their way to find an alternative mug punter.