If Balotelli appears on the team sheet again, Rodgers should be fired immediately. He's a black hole on offense; if he doesn't turn the ball over, he fires it into the stands. Then he makes an idiotic mistake to concede the goal. GET. OUT.
Liverpool 2014-15: Now Is Time On Merseyside When We Dance
- Thread starter DLew On Roids
- Start date
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https://twitter.com/OptaJoe/status/593154901154373632
OptaJoe
47 - Liverpool have scored 47 goals this season - 46 fewer than they had managed after 34 @premierleague games last season. Difference.
OptaJoe
47 - Liverpool have scored 47 goals this season - 46 fewer than they had managed after 34 @premierleague games last season. Difference.
Nick Kaufman said:
QFT. However it's easier, quicker and cheaper to fire the manager and not the players. They're probably saddled with some talent that is either unsaleable or only attractive to another team at a discount. It's a perfect storm unfortunately.
Definitely think the roster is more to blame, but I still don't understand the move away from 3 at the back at the most critical point in the season.
Regardless - more often than not, the bench this season has consisted of 3 defenders, 3 strikers, and Brad Jones.
Regardless - more often than not, the bench this season has consisted of 3 defenders, 3 strikers, and Brad Jones.
Today's display had an "Avoid Europa"-esque vibe. This was a team that gave absolutely no shits.
Based on his duties with the club this year, I'd say Sterling has lost a payday. When I look at his performance in an England shirt played in his natural role, however... He's a mystery, without a doubt. How much of his awfulness is incorrect deployment?
Based on his duties with the club this year, I'd say Sterling has lost a payday. When I look at his performance in an England shirt played in his natural role, however... He's a mystery, without a doubt. How much of his awfulness is incorrect deployment?
Can we call the roster a squad by any chance? I don't mind goal differential cos i appreciate you guys like to be different and adding an extra syllable is not so wasteful.
Anyway...is it the manager is it the roster? Fuck i can't believe i typed roster, i have never done that before, you're in my head...anyway it's neither one or the other, or rather it's elements of both and other shit besides.
1. Manager. He always has to take a bit of flack when the team underperforms, he picks the team, he's responsible for training, even if he's not taking it...but i do think Rogers likes to coach. He's responsible for tactics, and substitutions. And as we all agree, Rogers is still in the fledgling stages of his managerial career, he has a lot to learn, we hope he does. It's so much easier to lay out tactics when you have Suarez in your team.
2. Squad...the fuckin squad right. Well, who is that down to? Do we know who is on the transfer/player acquisition committee? We know Rogers isn't calling the transfer shots and that's an issue - how big of an issue we don't know, we can't quantify, but it's something. So we can talk about the squad - but we also need to talk about who's responsible for recruitment.
3. Strikers: Stevie Bruce of Hull management fame likes to say that "you're only as good as your strikers" - there's some truth to that. Liverpool are short of goals. Sturridge has had a season of injuries and niggles, Suarez shuffled off and took his blessed feet and teeth with him, Sterling needs to work on his shooting, needs to add more goals to his game, he's young, he'll improve...for some team, maybe Liverpool maybe not. Lambert didn't cost much and i said before the start of the season he'd be fine for a run out in the LEague CUp and mop up duties V Burnley type teams...that didn't really pan out. Mario...well he's fuckin useless, it's not his fault he has problems, issues, shit he needs to work out. He doesn't really get involved in games, he can't take the game by the scruff of the neck, nor can he trouble the scruff of the net. I thought he was a decent buy with a decent upside...fuckin wrong there gadgie.
4: Recruitment: Not a good season in this regard. Can we say outside of Can that the signings have not been that successful. Some of the new guys might hang about for a bit and prove themselves next year, some might get moved on. As for next year, what's the policy? We know Liverpool will buy at least one striker, they have to, we just don't know who, for how much and how good this player might be. Hendo signed on for 100K per week, so my guess is we're looking at a striker whose gonna be paid 100-140k per week..plus bonuses. I think Sturridge is on 140K per week. We need a 'proven goalscorer' who can 'still get it done at the top level.'
5. The fans: The fans have cost liverpool 7.2 points by my reckoning. Just not as much noise I would have liked - some of the singing was not up to scratch. Liverpool need to take some fans to Palace and talk to them about creating a 'cauldron like' atmosphere, which is very different to creating a party with a 'happy atmoshphere' - just ask Russ Abbott. I dunno maybe I am too harsh on the fans...maybe they only cost Liverpool 5.6 points...so hard to tell these days - too much technology.
These are just my general views as a jump off...too late for a jump start.
Anyway...is it the manager is it the roster? Fuck i can't believe i typed roster, i have never done that before, you're in my head...anyway it's neither one or the other, or rather it's elements of both and other shit besides.
1. Manager. He always has to take a bit of flack when the team underperforms, he picks the team, he's responsible for training, even if he's not taking it...but i do think Rogers likes to coach. He's responsible for tactics, and substitutions. And as we all agree, Rogers is still in the fledgling stages of his managerial career, he has a lot to learn, we hope he does. It's so much easier to lay out tactics when you have Suarez in your team.
2. Squad...the fuckin squad right. Well, who is that down to? Do we know who is on the transfer/player acquisition committee? We know Rogers isn't calling the transfer shots and that's an issue - how big of an issue we don't know, we can't quantify, but it's something. So we can talk about the squad - but we also need to talk about who's responsible for recruitment.
3. Strikers: Stevie Bruce of Hull management fame likes to say that "you're only as good as your strikers" - there's some truth to that. Liverpool are short of goals. Sturridge has had a season of injuries and niggles, Suarez shuffled off and took his blessed feet and teeth with him, Sterling needs to work on his shooting, needs to add more goals to his game, he's young, he'll improve...for some team, maybe Liverpool maybe not. Lambert didn't cost much and i said before the start of the season he'd be fine for a run out in the LEague CUp and mop up duties V Burnley type teams...that didn't really pan out. Mario...well he's fuckin useless, it's not his fault he has problems, issues, shit he needs to work out. He doesn't really get involved in games, he can't take the game by the scruff of the neck, nor can he trouble the scruff of the net. I thought he was a decent buy with a decent upside...fuckin wrong there gadgie.
4: Recruitment: Not a good season in this regard. Can we say outside of Can that the signings have not been that successful. Some of the new guys might hang about for a bit and prove themselves next year, some might get moved on. As for next year, what's the policy? We know Liverpool will buy at least one striker, they have to, we just don't know who, for how much and how good this player might be. Hendo signed on for 100K per week, so my guess is we're looking at a striker whose gonna be paid 100-140k per week..plus bonuses. I think Sturridge is on 140K per week. We need a 'proven goalscorer' who can 'still get it done at the top level.'
5. The fans: The fans have cost liverpool 7.2 points by my reckoning. Just not as much noise I would have liked - some of the singing was not up to scratch. Liverpool need to take some fans to Palace and talk to them about creating a 'cauldron like' atmosphere, which is very different to creating a party with a 'happy atmoshphere' - just ask Russ Abbott. I dunno maybe I am too harsh on the fans...maybe they only cost Liverpool 5.6 points...so hard to tell these days - too much technology.
These are just my general views as a jump off...too late for a jump start.
Well, the lack of fan noise today was predictable. There was a boycott of the game because it cost Liverpool supporters £50 for a ticket in the away end while Stoke and Burnley fans only had to pay £16 to enter the KC Stadium.
SoxFanInCali said:
Which my computer tells me cost liverpool 3/5 of a point. I was kidding about the fan noise. IN fact i was kidding about everything except the blessed feet and teeth comment, which had to be smothered in dross for obscurity purposes.
Didn't Tottenham also have load of trouble bedding in so many signings to the squad two years ago? Then they fired the manager and spent this season learning a new system.
Stability might be boring but it may be the best way to improve the squad. There was a string if better performances then some injuries and now some poor performances and it's time to hang the gaffer?
Stability might be boring but it may be the best way to improve the squad. There was a string if better performances then some injuries and now some poor performances and it's time to hang the gaffer?
Sturridge had hip surgery recently ..
https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/premier-league-liverpool-s-daniel-sturridge-undergoes-hip-174021716--sow.html
Anyone heard about recovery time?
https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/premier-league-liverpool-s-daniel-sturridge-undergoes-hip-174021716--sow.html
Anyone heard about recovery time?
Klopp or bust at this point. Rodgers playing multiple players out of position all season, bizarre substitutions, giving Gerrard the start on matches he shouldn't have. Only real positive this season has been Coutinho's coming out party. Hopefully Sterling can improve his finishing by next season. As of now, he's not the player that is deserving of what he's asking for. Still have no clue as to who really controls the transfers and that needs to be sorted out immediately.
I want to hear a single rational argument for Glen Johnson's playing time. Just one. I can't wrap my mind around it.
Ok .. Here's one .. Rodgers gave up on the CL after the Man U debacle .. He's playing Johnson as a favour to the player to showcase his (sadly diminishing) talents.SocrManiac said:
BCsMightyJoeYoung said:
Here's another - Coutinho, Lallana, Sterling and others have been roasting Mansquito in training and the 21 (?) year old kid isn't ready for the week-to-week grind of the EPL. Rather than destroy his confidence, Rodgers is using the veteran to run out the clock and protect the club's long term investment by not having his confidence completely destroyed by Eden "One of the 5 Best Players in the World" Hazard in a game the fans were sure to put under the microscope.
Well, Manquillo is at Liverpool on loan from Atletico Madrid, so he's not a long-term investment.
I appreciate the arguments- I did ask for them. At least it gives something to think about.
That said... Not sure I buy either. The team owns Johnson nothing- it'd be like rewarding Barry Zito with extra innings. His reward is his unearned paycheck. If Manquillo is so fragile that he can be broken that easily, he's useless to anybody. A defender must deal with being beaten and even scoring on his own net. If taking lumps now makes or breaks him, better to know before the season is over.
If the season was unofficially conceded, they should be engaging the youth now. If not, they shouldn't be running out white flag lineups (Lambert against Chelsea?!?). It makes no logical sense taken as a whole.
That said... Not sure I buy either. The team owns Johnson nothing- it'd be like rewarding Barry Zito with extra innings. His reward is his unearned paycheck. If Manquillo is so fragile that he can be broken that easily, he's useless to anybody. A defender must deal with being beaten and even scoring on his own net. If taking lumps now makes or breaks him, better to know before the season is over.
If the season was unofficially conceded, they should be engaging the youth now. If not, they shouldn't be running out white flag lineups (Lambert against Chelsea?!?). It makes no logical sense taken as a whole.
I never heard anything definitive on if there was an option or how much it is, but I would think if they were planning on exercising it, they would want to run him out there and see what he can do.soxfan121 said:
Relevant to my recent bitching: http://www.thisisanfield.com/2015/05/alberto-moreno-javier-manquillo-liverpools-spanish-full-backs-ignored/
Manquillo's loan runs for another year, so there's no urgency in deciding whether they want him.
At some point, you have to see what players are made of and whether they have what it takes. Look at what Arsenal has done. Jenkinson was given a chance and, while a serviceable player, wasn't top quality. He was loaned out to West Ham. In contrast, Bellerin was given a chance (thrown into the fire, really) when Debuchy went down. Bellerin has been a revelation and locked up the position to the point where Debuchy, who Arsenal spent 12 million on, can't get a game. Sometimes it works out (Bellerin), sometimes it doesn't (Jenkinson). But you're never going to find out until they play.
DLew On Roids said:
I thought there was a relatively cheap buy-out clause, something less than 10M.
Then sits one of them and puts a red shirt with a 2 on it at the corner of the box during the kickoff.
The one game Rodgers could justify including Johnson, he's stapled back to the bench.
I don't understand this manager at all.
I don't understand this manager at all.
So what do we make of the absence of any of FSG at Gerrard's final home game? The British press seems to be all over it.
That would be the equivalent of Henry and Werener not showing up for David Ortiz's final home game.
That would be the equivalent of Henry and Werener not showing up for David Ortiz's final home game.
Looks like Sterling wants to leave. Multiple outlets are reporting that he has (or will be) told Liverpool he won't sign a new contract and wants to join a new club in the summer.
As unplayable as Sterling looks at times, his production has been a little disappointing and he seems like a punk.
I'm sure Liverpool won't want to sell but if you could get like 40M pounds for him and use that money to buy two really good quality young attacking players in the Lacazette or Vietto bracket then maybe its worth it.
I'm sure Liverpool won't want to sell but if you could get like 40M pounds for him and use that money to buy two really good quality young attacking players in the Lacazette or Vietto bracket then maybe its worth it.
It's too bad he did so much damage to his value with and since the interview. He's a total diva that has shown some alarming inconsistencies.
Rodgers has done him no favors with the shifting roles and unnatural positioning. It may be best for both parties for them to split.
Rodgers has done him no favors with the shifting roles and unnatural positioning. It may be best for both parties for them to split.
Rodgers has definitely hurt Sterling's value playing him in the lead striker role so often, but frankly he hasn't had much choice given the alternatives.
He doesn't seem to be the type that would be happy long-term on Merseyside (who is these days?), but he could do his career wonders with another season or two as the main man in a top-6 EPL squad with regular time on the English national team. Many will try to convince themselves that selling a 20-year-old with this much talent is not all bad. To be sure, getting up to a ~£35m profit on Sterling is impressive and will help bring in reinforcements, but the fact of the matter is that he has upper-echelon talent - something that can't really be said about the rest of the non-Sturridge/Coutinho attackers on the squad.
If FSG can hang on to him, credit to them - but given the amount of negative off-field activity, I'm not sure that's a possibility. His departure would be very unfortunate, but at the very least, wing and attacking mid are positions where Liverpool has some depth.
Needless to say, I'm getting Seguin flashbacks.
He doesn't seem to be the type that would be happy long-term on Merseyside (who is these days?), but he could do his career wonders with another season or two as the main man in a top-6 EPL squad with regular time on the English national team. Many will try to convince themselves that selling a 20-year-old with this much talent is not all bad. To be sure, getting up to a ~£35m profit on Sterling is impressive and will help bring in reinforcements, but the fact of the matter is that he has upper-echelon talent - something that can't really be said about the rest of the non-Sturridge/Coutinho attackers on the squad.
If FSG can hang on to him, credit to them - but given the amount of negative off-field activity, I'm not sure that's a possibility. His departure would be very unfortunate, but at the very least, wing and attacking mid are positions where Liverpool has some depth.
Needless to say, I'm getting Seguin flashbacks.
There are reports from BBC's Ben Smith (one of the few reliable sources on LFC) that Sterling has a specific problem with Rodgers. Apparently there are more players than Sterling who have issues with Rodgers. Not very surprising considering how completely uninspired the team looked against QPR in Gerrard's final home game. The team's looked pretty much dead since the loss to Man U, if he's really lost the dressing room, it's the biggest argument for Klopp right now.
His deal has 2 years left. Someone needs to remind him how things worked with Suarez. He wanted to leave, they asked him for 1 more year, he put together a season for the ages, got a dream move, and the club got paid. Selling him now when everyone thinks he's whiny, spoiled, and not as good as he thinks he is would be pointless.
SoxFanInCali said:
But transfer values often dip significantly when a player has just one year left on his deal. If he stays and kills it next year, then the one year left probably won't matter and Liverpool will get paid pretty well. But there's also a risk of a sulky/indifferent year from an unhappy Sterling, and then you probably won't have a serious bidding war for a seemingly stagnating player with one year left on his deal (who is also demanding huge wages).
I would sell now.
Clubs have been selling players with a year left on their contracts as a matter of course lately. I don't think it hurts the value much if at all; the buying club gets to eliminate the uncertainty of an open bidding war. In fact, I'm surprised more players don't let their contracts run all the way down and pocket what would have been a transfer see as a signing bonus.
Nevertheless, I'd consider selling now. I don't see how he develops into a world-class player. He doesn't have the easy touch that players like Messi can use to make up for a lack of physical presence and much of his game is based on speed. You can use him to force a back four to push back the high line many clubs want to play, but that isn't a £40-million attribute. One thing worth noting, though, is the 20% sell-on clause in the QPR transfer. Liverpool need to get £50 million to net £40 million, so that might affect their decision-making.
No matter what happens, Sterling needs a new media strategy. He looks petulant here and his dip in form since going public makes him look like a bottler.
Nevertheless, I'd consider selling now. I don't see how he develops into a world-class player. He doesn't have the easy touch that players like Messi can use to make up for a lack of physical presence and much of his game is based on speed. You can use him to force a back four to push back the high line many clubs want to play, but that isn't a £40-million attribute. One thing worth noting, though, is the 20% sell-on clause in the QPR transfer. Liverpool need to get £50 million to net £40 million, so that might affect their decision-making.
No matter what happens, Sterling needs a new media strategy. He looks petulant here and his dip in form since going public makes him look like a bottler.
If he didn't look so dangerous playing for England I'd have no reservations at all. There's proof that in the right system with the right manager, he can be very dangerous.
Rodgers' insistence on playing with a lone striker for the majority of the year is just baffling. He didn't have the personnel, plain and simple. If you're playing with a target man, you need a big, physical presence that can hold the ball up and wait for the wings to run through. Sterling just put his head down, took a long touch at a defender and effectively started the counterattack against his own team time and time again.
I don't think this team had the lack of attacking threat that they displayed. The strikers they have were misused. All have a goalscoring record far better than they showed this year. Some combination of Balotelli, Lambert, Borini, and Sturridge (for the 30 seconds he was healthy) could very well have found a stride.
I know I've said it upthread, but this team's biggest problem is its incredible depth down the center of the pitch. There's a need to get all of these talents into a squad that pushes players wide and out of their natural or threat roles. You can't play a 3-1-1-1-1-1-1-1, so you end up with Sterling and Henderson out wide where they look listless and lost.
The use of Lallana in the center next to Coutinho when he was out of sorts for the vast majority of the season is key. If Sterling was given that central role he may have had an easier time of things.
There's no great opening for him at a London club, so I'm not sure how this ends.
Rodgers' insistence on playing with a lone striker for the majority of the year is just baffling. He didn't have the personnel, plain and simple. If you're playing with a target man, you need a big, physical presence that can hold the ball up and wait for the wings to run through. Sterling just put his head down, took a long touch at a defender and effectively started the counterattack against his own team time and time again.
I don't think this team had the lack of attacking threat that they displayed. The strikers they have were misused. All have a goalscoring record far better than they showed this year. Some combination of Balotelli, Lambert, Borini, and Sturridge (for the 30 seconds he was healthy) could very well have found a stride.
I know I've said it upthread, but this team's biggest problem is its incredible depth down the center of the pitch. There's a need to get all of these talents into a squad that pushes players wide and out of their natural or threat roles. You can't play a 3-1-1-1-1-1-1-1, so you end up with Sterling and Henderson out wide where they look listless and lost.
The use of Lallana in the center next to Coutinho when he was out of sorts for the vast majority of the season is key. If Sterling was given that central role he may have had an easier time of things.
There's no great opening for him at a London club, so I'm not sure how this ends.
The thing with Sterling is, at his best, he is a game changer and Liverpool lack those at the moment. But he clearly wants out. I'd like to hear more about these supposed rumours that some players aren't too happy with Rodgers. I'd like to know what it might be they have a problem with, if anything. Their peformances have been relatively flat coming down the stretch. It might be fatigue, it might be some other combination of factors, to be honest I don't really know. I mean the team has been short of quality and ideas compared to the top four, but just going by points on the board they aren't too far off the pace. But, the top four will retool and one presumes get stronger.
Liverpool are in a tough spot. If they stay where they are the go backwards relative to the field. They have to improve the playing staff. We hope some of this years signings have better seasons but I'm hard pushed to say who might 'come good' next season. The assumption is top English talent tends to be overvalued if the sale is to another EPL team. If that's the case, it's good business to cash in him ASAP and get going with the close season trasnfer business, much like Chelsea did last season. They clearly identified talent and did what needed to be done early doors and were pre season favourites for the title and won it handily. I know Liverpool are not and cannot do all their shopping in the same market place as Chelsea and other top European clubs but I think there's merit to early business.
I don't know nearly enough about Liverpools transfer policy, or who pulls the strings, but Roger's has said that it will be quality over quantity.
A relatively old article from the Liverpool echo: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/rodgers-fsg-wont-change-liverpool-9114778
I wonder if folks here think Liverpool could get Yannick Bolasie and if he'd make Liverpool a better side, assuming Sterling's gone, and I think he's gone. How much would we pay? £20m? More or less.
And...if there are any 30+ yr old players of quality that Liverpool could use for season or two. In another thread i mentioned that if Burnely stayed up one of their players might reasonably be the MVP because as a small budget club staying up would be like winning the lottery, just getting that extra year of TV money. With that in mind one might argue Esteban Cambiasso was the League's MVP although Leicester did spend more money than Burnley (who didn't?) Liverpool need to be creative...and I'm not saying get Cambiasso, what I'm saying is there's top talent out there in the 30-32yr age range that can do a job for Liverpool?
And finally, what is the best player out there Liverpool could realistically get?
Liverpool are in a tough spot. If they stay where they are the go backwards relative to the field. They have to improve the playing staff. We hope some of this years signings have better seasons but I'm hard pushed to say who might 'come good' next season. The assumption is top English talent tends to be overvalued if the sale is to another EPL team. If that's the case, it's good business to cash in him ASAP and get going with the close season trasnfer business, much like Chelsea did last season. They clearly identified talent and did what needed to be done early doors and were pre season favourites for the title and won it handily. I know Liverpool are not and cannot do all their shopping in the same market place as Chelsea and other top European clubs but I think there's merit to early business.
I don't know nearly enough about Liverpools transfer policy, or who pulls the strings, but Roger's has said that it will be quality over quantity.
A relatively old article from the Liverpool echo: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/rodgers-fsg-wont-change-liverpool-9114778
I wonder if folks here think Liverpool could get Yannick Bolasie and if he'd make Liverpool a better side, assuming Sterling's gone, and I think he's gone. How much would we pay? £20m? More or less.
And...if there are any 30+ yr old players of quality that Liverpool could use for season or two. In another thread i mentioned that if Burnely stayed up one of their players might reasonably be the MVP because as a small budget club staying up would be like winning the lottery, just getting that extra year of TV money. With that in mind one might argue Esteban Cambiasso was the League's MVP although Leicester did spend more money than Burnley (who didn't?) Liverpool need to be creative...and I'm not saying get Cambiasso, what I'm saying is there's top talent out there in the 30-32yr age range that can do a job for Liverpool?
And finally, what is the best player out there Liverpool could realistically get?
fletcherpost said:
I think Bolasie would be a great fit for Liverpool, and as a Palace fan - would prefer he goes there if he's going to be sold within the BPL. Palace is working on a new contract for him (I think he has two years left on his current one) and Pardew has upped his valuation on him to up to as much as £60m. I don't think anyone is realistically going to offer that for a 25 year old, but having Zaha and Bolasie on the wings would seem to be worth more than £20m. I know I would be thoroughly disappointed if the price tag on him were only £20m and Rickie Lambert, which had been rumored. And I think Palace fans, who see a future for the team with Bolasie would be devastated to lose him. To me, he's the most important player on that team. Palace have gotten themselves into a more stable financial position, and it seems to me that a guy like Bolasie is someone they should build around unless they get an overwhelming offer.
Edit: General opinion on CPFC boards is Pardew would have to strongly consider a £25m bid. I still think that seems low, but I'm a Bolasie fanboy, so take that with a huge grain of salt. Because of the way CP counterattacks, I think that he's worth more to Palace than he would be to a club like Liverpool.
What happened at Liverpool this year was quite predictable. Last year Rodgers was the manager of the decade and now he's the problem? Come on, you lost a player who was absolutely fantastic last season and kept creating goals. Add in the additional workload this season and it was always going to be a disappointment. It didn't help that Gerrard competed his petrification.
I don't see how you get better without Sterling, but you may not have a choice but sell at this point. Bolasie is an exciting player but if you are all nuts about Sterling supposedly having a heavy touch and no end product you're not going to love Bolasie.
As an outsider, moving forward of course Liverpool have some major problems. You essentially replicated the Spurs path by buying quantity with the Suarez money and like at Spurs it just didn't work out. As much as everyone wants Henderson to be something more than he is, I just don't think he's anything more than a solid CM and obviously there's a hole at CM with Gerrard finally leaving. Balotelli was probably a risk worth taking, but it didn't pan out, and now you need to fill some big holes at CM and Striker and you may lose a 20 year old England international. The CB pairing is nothing special and you need at least a RB-- there's arguably 4 first choice positions open and plenty of others who could be displaced if someone good came along.
I think last season set a bar Liverpool can't live up to and you'd be better off selling to invest in a single player over trying to fill all these positions at once. Maybe move Sterling, Balotelli if he has any value left, Borini, etc and make a run at someone who isn't on the biggest clubs radars yet. I can't imagine Liverpool being able to seriously compete on Pogba. De Bruyne maybe, but I don't think an attacking midfielder is the issue. Vidal would probably be tremendous under Rodgers but I can't see Juve selling both of those players in this transfer window. There's been some mention of Koke possibly having some availability in the English press, he'd be great nearly anywhere he goes I think.
I don't see how you get better without Sterling, but you may not have a choice but sell at this point. Bolasie is an exciting player but if you are all nuts about Sterling supposedly having a heavy touch and no end product you're not going to love Bolasie.
As an outsider, moving forward of course Liverpool have some major problems. You essentially replicated the Spurs path by buying quantity with the Suarez money and like at Spurs it just didn't work out. As much as everyone wants Henderson to be something more than he is, I just don't think he's anything more than a solid CM and obviously there's a hole at CM with Gerrard finally leaving. Balotelli was probably a risk worth taking, but it didn't pan out, and now you need to fill some big holes at CM and Striker and you may lose a 20 year old England international. The CB pairing is nothing special and you need at least a RB-- there's arguably 4 first choice positions open and plenty of others who could be displaced if someone good came along.
I think last season set a bar Liverpool can't live up to and you'd be better off selling to invest in a single player over trying to fill all these positions at once. Maybe move Sterling, Balotelli if he has any value left, Borini, etc and make a run at someone who isn't on the biggest clubs radars yet. I can't imagine Liverpool being able to seriously compete on Pogba. De Bruyne maybe, but I don't think an attacking midfielder is the issue. Vidal would probably be tremendous under Rodgers but I can't see Juve selling both of those players in this transfer window. There's been some mention of Koke possibly having some availability in the English press, he'd be great nearly anywhere he goes I think.
Liverpool is going to have a tough time attracting high level talent like some of the players you (teddy) mentioned without Champions League. I think that they should focus on retaining talent and may be picking off a player or two from a club in dire straits like what Arsenal to get Cazorla.
I still say you hold on to Sterling going in to next season, and sell him on the idea that the only way he's going to get a move he wants is to prove himself. You can always sell him in January if necessary, where there's a decent chance of getting a few clubs into a bidding war for a possible difference maker that isn't cap-tied in the Champions League.
I note that the (Anglo-Asian) author avoided all mention of race. And I guess in England the stereotype of how young (not black) athletes waste their money is on hats and Haribo (had to look that up), not strippers and weed.
Oh, England and your polite class war. It's just like Downton.
Oh, England and your polite class war. It's just like Downton.
Roughly speaking, a 10K/week increase in wages on a 5-year standard contract is the equivalent to 2.5M in a transfer fee. So going from 35K/week to 150K/week is the equivalent of paying a 28.75M transfer fee amortized over 5 years. That's not unreasonable for a player like Sterling. But if I'm Liverpool, I would love to get one more year out of Sterling at 35K before making that deal.
So if I'm them, I offer Sterling 130K/week for the next 6 years. That's pretty much the same money over 6 years as going to 150 in a year, and it sounds like a great deal for Sterling if Aidy Ward decides to leak it.
So if I'm them, I offer Sterling 130K/week for the next 6 years. That's pretty much the same money over 6 years as going to 150 in a year, and it sounds like a great deal for Sterling if Aidy Ward decides to leak it.
By the way, Sterling can't walk away on a free transfer in two years because he'll still be under 23. Given that Sterling is far more advanced than Daniel Sturridge was when a tribunal awarded City 6.5M (3.5M plus incentives he reached quickly) + 15% of a future transfer fee, Liverpool could assume 15M-20M in NPV of a tribunal award plus future signing fee percentage. I'd still consider selling for the right offer (there's always a right offer), but I don't see how a 40M bid from City gets it done.
If City are willing to pay Sterling 150K/week for 5 years and a 40M transfer fee, that puts Sterling's market value at about 15.5M per year. If Liverpool sit tight and let him run down his contract for a 17.5M tribunal fee in 2017, they'll essentially pay 35K/week + 14.5M (32-17.5) to keep him, for a total of 18M over 2 years. They wind up paying 9M per year for him when we know someone else is willing to pay 15.5M.
If City ups their bid to 50M, though, it probably forces Liverpool to take it seriously. At that point they're giving up 13M per year to keep him, and that's assuming Sterling stays in England, where the tribunals give more money than they'd get if Sterling went overseas and they'd have to settle for training compensation.
If City are willing to pay Sterling 150K/week for 5 years and a 40M transfer fee, that puts Sterling's market value at about 15.5M per year. If Liverpool sit tight and let him run down his contract for a 17.5M tribunal fee in 2017, they'll essentially pay 35K/week + 14.5M (32-17.5) to keep him, for a total of 18M over 2 years. They wind up paying 9M per year for him when we know someone else is willing to pay 15.5M.
If City ups their bid to 50M, though, it probably forces Liverpool to take it seriously. At that point they're giving up 13M per year to keep him, and that's assuming Sterling stays in England, where the tribunals give more money than they'd get if Sterling went overseas and they'd have to settle for training compensation.
This is getting so great. From overnight:
Raheem Sterling agent Aidy Ward says Liverpool FC man "definitely" not signing contract and labels Jamie Carragher a "knob"
Ward is quoted in the article as saying that Sterling now won't sign for £900K per week.
Twitter blew up to the point that Aidy Ward is trending in places like Washington and Indianapolis. Ward now claims he was misquoted. But he's also the guy who told Peter Odemwingie to drive from West Brom to QPR on deadline day a couple of years ago to try to force a move, even though QPR didn't want him. So he's got a bizarre track record already.
I have to think the probably of Sterling staying at Liverpool is increasing every time Ward and Sterling step on their own dicks. Clowning yourself looks weak.
Raheem Sterling agent Aidy Ward says Liverpool FC man "definitely" not signing contract and labels Jamie Carragher a "knob"
Ward is quoted in the article as saying that Sterling now won't sign for £900K per week.
Twitter blew up to the point that Aidy Ward is trending in places like Washington and Indianapolis. Ward now claims he was misquoted. But he's also the guy who told Peter Odemwingie to drive from West Brom to QPR on deadline day a couple of years ago to try to force a move, even though QPR didn't want him. So he's got a bizarre track record already.
I have to think the probably of Sterling staying at Liverpool is increasing every time Ward and Sterling step on their own dicks. Clowning yourself looks weak.
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