Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2013/14

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Our league form fell to pieces in Lucas' absence during the 2011 / 12 season, I don't think anyone would deny that? He's been on the comeback trail consistently since December 2011. He now has a full preseason under his belt following consistent on pitch time during the second half of last season. He's well positioned to rediscover his 2011 form. Let's all hope he does too, because we'll need him at that level...

So we are agreed - a back-to-form Lucas with Stevie and Phil is not a midfield that is missing much.

There is still time for a CB. Either Sakho or Papa. But either Coates or Skrtel HAS to go for that to happen.

The Anzhi situation may help us with Willian, but may hurt us on Skrtel, some good defenders suddenly on the Russian market...

According to ssn he HAS appologised!!

I had a detailed post about Henderson a while back saying how I no longer feel Rodgers will rely on him as a CM, or DM, for the first team. If he plays he will be put as the CAM of LW as we have seen since last January.

Has a lot of developing to do before he can be relied upon as a CM in my eyes. Thankfully, he seems to show the the right attitude an certainly came on last year, although like I said, that was in the more advance positions.

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Gerrard won't manage more than 25 league starts this season imo. Last season was an outlier in terms of his fitness. We always knew we needed backup for Lucas. Spearing was the nominal backup for that role in the side.

I don't see why Gerrard would play so few games, no European fixtures to worry about. Very few weeks with 2 games, I think he'll miss no more than a dozen all in.

Speariong wasn't even with us last year, Allen did it. But I thought we were talking about upgrades to the first team. If Lucas misses a long spell, we will have to play a lesser player in his absence. But the same can be said for almost all our regular starters...

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Fine, I just think things are crystallising. We know who's going at this stage and the broad scenarios where we sign four or five players are disappearing. We're going to be short of what we needed at the outset of the summer, that is becoming more clear. I think we need to start facing up to the fact that the window is going to fall short of what we needed - and the only thing left to be discovered is the degree to which that is the case.

The window may well fall short of what many of us hoped it would be, and a number of obvious needs (at least in the minds of us supporters anyway) may still be there once the window shuts.

But two signings could change a lot of moods, and whilst it is looking more and more unlikely as each day passes, it is not a foregone conclusion just yet.

Right now I am in my excited the season is about the start mode, and thios post will be my last one today methinks as I have to head for Cork very soon to catch this evening's flight home. My mind is now on meeting some of the EST1982 crew, going for a meal tonight, getting up in the morning to have a run along the Dock road and around Chavasse Park, and then it is match going time.

The match itself will be a mix of excitement and also of looking at the time to see if there are any early indicators of our summer buys to date looking good in a competitive fixture.

Come Saturday evening I might be logging back on here saying I hope we sign some much needed quality, or I might be doing that when I get back to Ireland on Sunday, but I do think with less than 24 hours to go to kick off that people should let the upcoming game be a temporary distraction to any perceived failings to date in the transfer window.

But it is up to folks posting to decide what way the forum chat goes, but a day of post match optimism/pessimism/realism would be a welcome change for many I imagine.

Either way have a great day, I hope everyone here enjoys the game however they chose to follow it and that we get plenty from it to chat about over the coming days along with some concrete and much needed transfer news.

shamrock55 wrote: »

According to ssn he HAS appologised!!

Pints are back on :pac::pac::pac::pac:

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11669/8873198/transfer-news-luis-suarez-back-in-the-liverpool-first-team-fold-after-apologising

Forward Luis Suarez trained with Liverpool's first-team squad on Friday according to Sky Sports sources, after apologising to his team mates for his conduct this summer.

It seems legit to me.

shamrock55 wrote: »

Is this thread the busiest football thread on boards?

Nearly the busiest overall! I wonder if any other recurring thread could have done 10K posts that quickly...

googled eyes wrote: »

Just get the team together. If the lads have an issue with him they'll sort it out.

I doubt they'd really care! There's very little loyalty in football (from team to player and vice versa) or any other professional sport! Most have probably felt hard done by, by a club at some stage through their career!

Grayditch wrote: »

All Willian talk should be banned unless he's holding a jersey, or leaning on air at Melwood. Or hugging Ian Ayer.

Or signing a Liverpool shirt:

SlickRic wrote: »

this apology thing is the only part of the Suarez debacle that Rodgers is getting wrong IMO.

it doesn't matter a fúck. are the players all of a sudden going to think Suarez really cares just because he gave an apology?

fúck no.

just make it a clearly professional arrangement. make it clear to Luis that he won't be sold until next summer, when we will sell him to a foreign club, subject to a decent fee coming in.

make it clear that he needs to keep playing well in order to attract the interest of the clubs he wants to move to. make it clear that there's no point in him acting the bollocks, because it will put off suitors. it's in his best interests to do his best for Liverpool.

purely professional.

this "apology" is nonsense and will mean, in reality, nothing at all.

Dead right. Liverpool handled the Suarez sega almost perfectly. The apology aspect is the only bit they - or Rodgers - got wrong.

Sappy404 wrote: »

Or signing a Liverpool shirt:

Who is that?

@Kess

I partially agree and disagree with your opinion on Henderson.

Agree, that he is not quite there in terms of first team consistency. I also wouldn't like to rely on him, but personally would rate him ahead of Allen, but also admit Allen could easily step up his game this season and be much better and Henderson.

I would prefer a rated midfielder to come in and replace both, but with that seeming increasingly unlikely, I don't have a lack of confidence in Henderson to provide adequate performances in the midfield, as a rotational option to Allen.

---

Regarding Suarez, whether the apology is a good idea, bad idea on behalf of BR, if it had actually happened it's a step in the right direction. It's almost certainly just been said my Suarez in an effort to get back into first team training, but its an assurance of some sort that we're going to have him until xmas at least. Granted should he leave at the xmas window, we only have him for a few games, but his quality is immense. I'm not going to say its like a signing, because its not...we want to build upon what we had last year, and should Willian come in I think we've really done that.

Ideally we would get another midfielder to join up with the squad, but I just can't see that happening now. I'd imagine should we secure Willian that will be the end of the business for now.

Nuri Sahin wrote: »

I've lost count at the amount of times I've said we need a new CB and cover for Lucas. The latter I've been saying for years now!

So we won't have had a good window if we don't get them?