2013-2014 Season

[Tes]

Mad game as usual....even madder line up...cannot believe that toure and gerrard were played...with manure on sunday...mad as batshiite stuff...and now toure is going to miss the manure game...brilliant...
oh well...it's not going to be dull...i'm not sure about the old heart though...

Because of our lack of planning for Carra's retirement and none replacement of the two centre halves Rodgers doesn't appear to trust, we ended up having to play a 32 year old instead of risking Agger's frail body.
One season clear of major injury shouldn't fool anyone, but we shouldn't have been in a position of choosing from the options that we had. We should have been able to rest both, if they are the first choice pairing.

Two centre halves are the minimum. Coates is out injured for over half the season, and out of favour anyway. Skrtel is coming back from injury, will no doubt miss some more games if his past record is anything to go by, and isn't, so it appears, trusted by the manager anyway. Now our 32 year old is injured, leaving us with just one, previously injury prone, centre half, and it being proved that Wisdom is not ready to play first team football at centre half, no matter the level of first team opponents.

Considering who has left this season, their places in the squad over the last two seasons anyway, the players that were available last season but are now on loan, all in all, our squad is probably thinner than last season, and last season's squad, in terms of useable quality, was threadbare anyway.

Rodgers has cleared out 3 Dalglish purchases he doesn't rate, a player who was here when he first arrived, and has admitted his error (if an error has been made) in removing Assadi.

Balancing out Borini/Allen (though fans are split on that one), with Sturridge/Coutinho/Mignolet, with the paucity of the numbers and quality aspects of the squad, then the manager should be backed with more than a profit making transfer budget. Whether he'll buy the right players, or for the right positions, can be argued, but the fact that he should be backed financially to do so, shouldn't really. We need numbers, preferably of the right quality of course, but we need numbers.
If they're not prepared to back the manager, then appoint one that they are, but whoever the manager is, he should be backed. I'd take Rodgers' transfer record over Dalglish's. That may not be saying much or a ringing endorsement of the man. FSG have to take responsibility for their appointments of Dalglish and Comolli and for allowing them to spend such huge sums on any single player. The shouldn't be punishing their current choice of manager, and most importantly, hanging the fans out to dry with such a lightweight squad. Ticket prices aren't being reduced in line with the strength of the squad.

[Tes]

"The club today announced plans to pay tribute to Bill Shankly before Sunday’s game on the week of the great former Liverpool manager’s 100th birthday."

Sorted. Who needs players with FSG making grandiose gestures like that. Once again, I am at peace with our owners.

[Tes]

We've got the Mancs away in the 4th round of the League Cup. We've no need or excuse to put out anything but a strong team, but what about them?

The match will be 24th/25th September. We're at home to Southampton on the Saturday before, with Sunderland away the Saturday after. That's not as tough as it could have been and nothing huge to distract us from picking the strongest team.

They have the away leg of the Manchester derby the Sunday before, the 22nd, and then WBA at home the following Saturday. Those three games are sandwiched in between Champions League ties.
So they have three weeks of weekend/mid week matches, where as we are likely to be resting during the midweek previous and if we play on the Saturday and they don't play until the Sunday, then we have an extra day's rest over them also.

We really have no excuse not to field the strongest team possible, but Moyes has much more to figure out. He daren't rest players for the derby, and the CL matches are his first two, and again, he daren't mess up in those two early games either, otherwise they could have a mountain to climb, in order not to exit from the group stages.

[Tes]

And now the owners wheel out their friendly neighbourhood journo, and offer up this:

Liverpool WILL make signings as Reds face five days that will define their future

28 Aug 2013 11:34 By David Maddock


David Maddock says the club needs Champions League football and will therefore stop at nothing in the transfer market to build a squad capable of securing a top-four finish

It does rather seem like we're always saying this about Liverpool, but the next five days could define the future of the club.

If that seems a dramatic statement, then it merely acknowledges just how important Champions League football is to a club whose history, reputation and - more importantly - worldwide fan base, is built on European exploits.

Put simply, Liverpool need to finish in the top four this season, they need to reestablish themselves among the Premier League elite, because many more years like the last four, when they have been condemned to the footballing wilderness, and they may never get back there.

It is a depressing thought, for such a big club, not just for their own fans, but for true football fans everywhere, because the English game needs a strong Liverpool.

But let's not get too depressing. The good news is, if they can get some big decisions right over the next five days, then Brendan Rodgers is building the sort of structure - and momentum - at Anfield that could take them back where they feel they belong.

They need to make signings. And they WILL make signings, at least two of them. With the injury to Kolo Toure, they require a centre half urgently (and actually they probably need two).

Rodgers would like to sign Kyriakos Papadopoulos from Schalke, but the fee is prohibitively high for a player who has been sidelined through injury for much of the past 10 months. If he could get the Greek stopper on loan, he could solve his defensive problems.

Alternatively, and probably more likely, is his interest in Mamadou Sakho, which is likely to come to fruition before the deadline.

Whether the France international is the answer remains to be seen, but if Liverpool are to seriously challenge for the top four, then they need a confident, solid centre half to back up their impressive work going forward.

They will also need two more things to happen before the transfer window slams shut next week. One - and most important of all - is to resist the inevitable late bid for Luis Suarez from Real Madrid.

It will happen. Probably this weekend. He will want to go. But it is too late, far too late, to get a replacement of that quality, so Liverpool will need to be strong, to resist the pressure, and then somehow gently get Suarez's head right to play a role for the club over the coming months.

It will not be easy, but that is what managers are paid huge salaries for these days, to manage. To manage massive egos and millionaire superstars. To get them playing even when they don't want to play.

And at least in Brendan Rodgers they have a manager with a real talent for that. He is still young, is still learning, but he seems capable of getting players to...well, err. Play.

That is where things are most encouraging, because in their first two league games the Reds have looked like a real team, with real talent. Add a motivated Suarez into the mix and a strong centre half and they can challenge for the top four.

Add a top class attacking player to that... and they will definitely challenge for the top four. So Rodgers has five days to persuade Suarez to give it one more year, find a centre half, and then finish all that off with the capture of a world class attacker...even if there are not many of those around.


http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/liverpool-transfers-kyriakos-papadopoulos-mamadou-2232883

Words. Fail. Me.

[Tes]

Spurs supposedly in talks with Eriksen. So let's think this one through.

We're not signing Eriksen or Henry the Armenian because they play in the same position Rodgers would like to play Coutinho. However, before being able to play Coutinho where Eriksen plays we need to get a wide left player to replace Coutinho in the position he is playing at the moment. Then we sell and loan our two left sided players that could have facilitated Coutinho playing where Eriksen does, which is why we're not getting Eriksen, even though we have no one playing in his position because...............

[Ed]

Words. Fail. Me.

Not the journalist though.

Have no idea either what that article was about.

The argument about the centre half? Rodgers is the one who
had the strategy of alienating Skrtel and instantly making Toure 1st team.
I have absolutely nothing personal against the player but have questioned
repeatedly on here the wisdom of heavily relying on a player his age for a 38
game campaign.

Lee Dixon (good co-commentator there on NBC's coverage) predicted the
Toure injury the other day, saying that the key to a good defense is the
length of time you can keep the 4 together and saying he had reservations
about us in that department. It gives an indication of the naivety at play on
defensive matters and is very embarassing when you listen to an ex-pro
cutting through the happy-speak and with one sentence demolishing our
credibility as contenders.

One SERIOUSLY has to wonder what the transfer strategy really was if Toure had gotten
the injury a week later. I mean you could effectively have written off the season had
that happened. Madness.

Watched a bit of the Villa game. It actually reminded me of how Swansea played 2
seasons ago.

[Tes]

We need a defensive coach who can either teach us how to defend, or get the players to understand and apply Rodgers' philosophy for the defensive side of our play, because one thing's certain, whatever the reason, our defending is still poor.

We were picked apart by a division 1 team on Tuesday night for both their goals.

I've given my views on defenders/transfer strategy ad nauseum, so I won't repeat myself, but I'm in total agreement with you Ed. I simply don't understand what is going off.

Like you Ed, I like listening to Dixon explain the defensive side of the game and from the perspective of if he was actually on the pitch. There's no bland straight bats or cliches. He just explains things simply and clearly, and doesn't look as though he's out to make a name for himself as a pundit.

I'm not out to criticise the manager, because in order to do that I would need to understand his philosophy and methods when it it comes to defending and his transfer policy, in order to then identify what I think are the holes, but I simply don't understand any of it. I'm baffled by it all.

[the dude abides]

apart from needing new owners, long overdue development of the ground, a new manager, a new set of scouts, new defenders, new midfielders, winger, and possibly a striker to eventually replace Suarez (when he leaves next summer), what did the Romans ever do for us.

I am upbeat, in a gallows sense of humour, sort of way.

Like what could possibly go wrong. 

[Tes]

apart from needing new owners, long overdue development of the ground, a new manager, a new set of scouts, new defenders, new midfielders, winger, and possibly a striker to eventually replace Suarez (when he leaves next summer), what did the Romans ever do for us.

I am upbeat, in a gallows sense of humour, sort of way.

Like what could possibly go wrong.

It's like watching a real life Laurel and Hardy film. It would be hilarious if it was another club, but it's still funny, even though it's us, because it is actually funny, no matter who the club involved is.

Spurs have done remarkably well this Summer. Their centre back line up is still under strength, but they've replaced Gallas with the Romanian they've just bought. They've managed to pick up these players, one after the other, whilst keeping Madrid at bay and hammering out a cracking deal with them over Bale, they've got Parker (the ultimate expensive, short term 'Arry signing) off the wage bill, whilst turning a profit off Dempsey off the MLS (which is no mean feat for a league with no money), £5.5M for Huddlestone stands up to scrutiny and they've managed to wring £9M out of Cardiff for Caulkner. Who? Exactly.

The only downside is getting nearly an entire new first 11 to bed in.

Even before Baldini arrived, it must be the case as he's not been there long enough to influence this entire turn about, they appear to be well organised in terms of who and where and what, and have just gone about it super efficiently picking off/up their targets. There's always a risk in buying so many pieces of the jigsaw together that when the dust starts to settle you find too many that don't fit.

[the dude abides]

It's like watching a real life Laurel and Hardy film. It would be hilarious if it was another club, but it's still funny, even though it's us, because it is actually funny, no matter who the club involved is.

yes, spurs have been amazing this summer.

if it was for sale, they bought it.

and with the massive Bale money, their net spend for essentially a whole new team of top class players, is tiny.

but as you say, the trick is gluing all these pieces together.  I think AVB will be under immense pressure and I would not be surprised to see him fired before next summer.

they clearly want to cement CL football for years tocome; and in doing so move ahead of arsenal.

spurs also seem to have the financial fair play thing in mind - and are getting their big money spent now.

as for us - yes, you reminded me of that laurel and hardy film, about delivering a piano, to a customer who lived up a lot of stairs.  Our owners, scouts and manager, are something else.  They just do not have a clue.

And like you say, I suspect Rodgers is just keen to lick posteriors, to hang on to his dream job. 

Rafa, or any man worth his salt, would never have put up with this.  And the yanks knew that.

[Tes]

'The Chairman' speaks:

http://www.espn.co.uk/espn/sport/video_audio/234029.html?CMP=OTC-RSS;genre=1;sport=3

It would would be nice to see LFC's chairman interviewed with Anfield as the backdrop. Liverpool, precinct of Boston. 

[Tes]

We are becoming a 'one man team' again, granted it's a different player. 

[Tes]

Poor second half so far, we've let the Mancs back in. We need to defend by keeping possession. We're not good enough to sit back and let come at us. Despite Moyes, they've still got too much talent to let them have the ball.

[Tes]

We need to up it. What happens at half time? Do the players get a sedative?

[Tes]

Johnson off injured now.    Wisdom on. Kelly would have been preferable, if he wasn't just back from injury himself. The bench makes worrying viewing, not too much creation on it.