Liverpool Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2014 *mod warning linked in OP 26/07*

5live wrote: »

No, you definitely post on here alright;)

I'm getting sick and tired of your jib, 5live.


:pac:

OwaynOTT wrote: »

Is anyone else overwhelmed by our signings so far?

Overwhelmed?

I'd be surprised!

Knex. wrote: »

I only started posting here around the time Suarez signed. I think I remember people saying that Rebel had been raving about him for ages, and was delighted when he signed.

This happen, or am I making it all up?

Let me ask you a question, you, you never really remember the beginning of a dream do you? You always wind up right in the middle of what's going on.

Think about it Knex.. how did you get here!?

tok9 wrote: »

Think about it Knex.. how did you get here!?

Don't get me started on that.

I'll be quoting Alan Watts bollocks and we'll be here for days. :pac:

I don't get the opportunity to post here much. But I have to in order to try and put some doubts to rest about Markovic. I was convinced last year (and posted here) that Suarez would be gone this summer. As most have agreed here, replacing him was impossible.

I spent a good bit of last season watching European football (admittedly not having half the knowledge of Kess, or indeed Nuri, who's opinions on players I both respect greatly) and the one attainable player I was hoping we'd go for was Lazar Markovic. I thought he'd an excellent season for Benfica, and the Portuguese League, despite being weaker, can be brutally physical at times, and a great learning curve for the EPL, compared to La Liga, in my opinion anyway.

It's very hard to compare him to anyone because he is very good at a lot of things, yet not reliant on one factor in particular. He is very quick. He pulls defenders all over the place. His scoring could be better, but his assists levels are good, and even better because a few of the times I've seen him, his through ball may not have been the assist, but the crucial ball in the move. He can definitely pick a pass too, and in this regard he will suit the current LFC style perfectly.

In a way he's not dissimilar to Andrei Kanchelskis, and he is hardy, well able to ride a tackle. While very few here hold the Europa League in any sort of regard, I think it's a fine competition and he was good last season. Benfica definitely missed him in the final.

If I was told Lallana and Markovic were being signed both for €25m I'd have been disappointed with the Lallana fee, purely because there is more room for improvement on Markovic. Plus I thought Markovic was nearer 24, I didn't realise he's only just turned 20. As it turns out, Lallana appears to be €16m, so to effectively get Lallana & MArkovic for €40m,I think that will proven to be shrewd business by the club. 5 high level intensity years with great technique from Lallana.

Karlson is right on this one for me. We could get easily 5/6 great seasons from Lazar Markovic, and then sell him for a Bale/Ronaldo/Suarez-esque fee. He could be Liverpool's Ronaldo.

It is a huge worry that a proper destructor/stopper hasn't been identified though. Definitely the defensive side of the game will need to be tightened losing Suarez. I don't believe that Steven Gerrard was a success in the role last season, and to me it's a huge weak link in a very good line-up. His offensive attributes are excellent, but for me there was just too much fraility in the middle of the pitch, and if it isn't resolved, then I just don't see the season past being replicated, this is compounded by the signings Liverpool's rivals have made, because these teams will exploit this weakness next season.

K-9 wrote: »

The glass is half full, excellent post. As football fans we tend to want things now and forget the bigger picture. Jesus when you put it that way, Carroll, Downing, Adam and Cole for what we have now is a big upgrade. Testament to Rodgers and the committee and owners. It also shows FSG have largely delivered on what they promised, after getting a bit carried away the first Summer!

The other thing is we all knew Suarez was away next Summer at the latest, all the club can do is use the money to get badly needed additions to the squad (let's face it, we over achieved last season and things went our way) and leave us ready to try and cement top 4, but more importantly leave us in good stead for the future. The club has a stadium to redevelop which will affect finances for the foreseeable future, Chelsea and Spurs have to do that too but United, City and Arsenal don't.

We also have an excellent manager who seems to be able to get the best out of players, some who many gave up on like Henderson, Sterling, Cissokho and Flanagan, and has used the limited resources he had brilliantly, showing adaptability and learning from mistakes.

Remember Kyriakos mentioned last night (Cult hero he was), we've come a long way since H&G and the early mistakes of FSG.

Yeah, agreed. We are in a much better place now than we were and on a much better road, losing Suarez is a blip on the way so to speak. I'm not being optimistic or anything, I am simply refusing to fear the worst, there are plenty on here doing that already enough for me!
Oh and the glass is half full if it was in a state of being empty before it became half full/half empty. Likewise voca versa, not all that tricky a puzzle when you think about it!

OwaynOTT wrote: »

I beginning to doubt it all, to be honest. What with the possibility of us all being rarnes1 and now you doubting your very existence.

Calm down there Neo.

Tusky wrote: »

That's irrelevant. We've lost one of the best in the world - we should replace him with an excellent player who has the potential to go on to be one of the best. Our targets/signings do not fit into that category so far.

And Sturridge has never scored 30 in a season.



It was always clear he had enormous potential.

Absolutely Suarez had the potential to be top 5 in the World, his finishing was somewhat arguable, but unlike Kezman, Afonso Alves and their ilk (great Eridivisie goalscorers) Suarez play, skill and desire was very obvious.

What worries me, or disappoints me slightly, is that the high bracket players that have moved to England this season, or those that could be moving this season, have never even remotely been linked to Liverpool.
In a simple world City were the only team to finish ahead of Liverpool, and realistically thely're close to the finished product. As a club choice, given the season LFC have had, Champions League to come, and with a squad that can only get better, LFC should be an enticing proposition. But either location or finances aren't right, because there is definitely some obstacle. Maybe things will change if we can repeat or consolidate last seasons trick.

I suppose United getting Herrara and looking serious contenders for Vidal as well as a couple of defenders despite no CL is annoying, and that probably is fuelling my angst more than anything. Plus Arsenal getting Ozil, Kheidara and Sanchez. When you see so many players being touted, and realistically we're as good as anyone outside the money 8 (Madrid, Barca, Bayern, City, Chelsea, PSG, Monaco ,United) and there being only so many positions available, it would be nice to think of LFC being genuinely in for a genuinely world class player such as those mentioned. Ah well, I guess.

If you were to come up with a list of say the top 10 players of their position in Europe, and then the next 10, and finally another list of the top 10 potentials in their position, how many would Liverpool have in each catagory? Zero in the first, possibly 3 in the next, and probably two in the next.

Reus isn't going to happen

Kingdom wrote: »

Absolutely Suarez had the potential to be top 5 in the World, his finishing was somewhat arguable, but unlike Kezman, Afonso Alves and their ilk (great Eridivisie goalscorers) Suarez play, skill and desire was very obvious.

What worries me, or disappoints me slightly, is that the high bracket players that have moved to England this season, or those that could be moving this season, have never even remotely been linked to Liverpool.
In a simple world City were the only team to finish ahead of Liverpool, and realistically thely're close to the finished product. As a club choice, given the season LFC have had, Champions League to come, and with a squad that can only get better, LFC should be an enticing proposition. But either location or finances aren't right, because

I suppose United getting Herrara and looking serious contenders for Vidal as well as a couple of defenders despite no CL is annoying, and that probably is fuelling my angst more than anything. Plus Arsenal getting Ozil, Kheidara and Sanchez. When you see so many players being touted, and realistically we're as good as anyone outside the money 8 (Madrid, Barca, Bayern, City, Chelsea, PSG, Monaco ,United) and there being only so many positions available, it would be nice to think of LFC being genuinely in for a genuinely world class player such as those mentioned. Ah well, I guess.
Reus isn't going to happen

Here come the bank balance posts.

Tusky wrote: »

That's irrelevant. We've lost one of the best in the world - we should replace him with an excellent player who has the potential to go on to be one of the best. Our targets/signings do not fit into that category so far.

And Sturridge has never scored 30 in a season.



It was always clear he had enormous potential.

It's not irrelevant, it's a different point. I am comparing our position now to that of when we signed the guy. I'm fairly confident no one outside of Rebel would have predicted Suarez to be such a phenomenon for us. Of course we will be weaker without him and it would be great to replace him with Rues or someone of that ilk but that is simply stating the obvious. Can't we for once just get past the obvious please??
I realise Sturridge has never scored 30, that's why I said 20-30. He scored that last season and he will again this season injuries permitting.

Simple but effective

taidghbaby wrote: »

Ah now I wasn't being pedantic! Just helping you out before someone else came in and made a song and a dance about it!

Also I would prefer if you would refrain from "thrusting" me with your "post" in future!

Ah cheers so, you're a fine lad!

Gandalph wrote: »

Seen some tripe on an American site that Pool are offering $75mil for Reus.

"However the Metro states that Liverpool are ‘baffled’ by the suggestion they are chasing Reus. Take this rumor with a pinch of salt."

Why would they even publish that then haha? Trying to get as many clicks on their page as possible I presume.

I think Tony Barrett has already said it was him who used the word "baffled" and it's now being reused everywhere as a supposed quote from a Liverpool source