18 Jul 2013

Molby warns: LFC will 'soon' have a 'problem with Coutinho'. Agree...?

In recent years, Liverpool have lost several big-name players, including Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano and Fernando Torres, and it looks increasingly likely that Luis Suarez is about to join them in abandoning Anfield for pastures anew. With Champions League football a distant memory for the Reds, it's somewhat inevitable that the club finds it hard to hold onto its marquee players, and LFC legend Jan Molby is worried that the club's new crop of young stars may also end up abandoning the club at some stage.

Liverpool fans get understandably upset when the club loses its best players, but Molby takes a more pragmatic view of the situation, and during the recent 5-Times Podcast, he argued:

"We have to get used to the fact that top players at LFC might want to move. Not every foreign player we sign is going to be a Liverpool fan.

"They have other dreams, and if we can’t get quickly enough to where they want to be, then we have to be sensible enough to accept that we can’t hold onto these players".


Putting all emotion aside, Molby is (IMO) right. It's very simple: the world's top players want to perform in the Champions League. If that isn't on offer, these players will either leave for a club in the competition, or they won't come to Liverpool in the first place.

Granted, money is clearly one of the biggest motivating factors, and if the salary is big enough, players will turn out for anyone, irrespective of Champions League status (Monaco, anyone?). However, generally, CL football is (arguably) the major attraction, and it's understandable that top players (with their finite careers) want to play on the biggest stage.

Which brings us to Philip Coutinho. The Brazilian is taking Anfield by storm at the moment, and Molby is worried that he too could grow restless and follow Torres et al out the door. He observed:

"We’re going to have a problem with Coutinho soon if he continues to play the way he is. Big clubs are going to be looking at him"

What happens in two years if Liverpool are still not in the Champions League, and Coutinho is still putting in superb performances? As Molby suggests, it seems inevitable that big clubs will come calling, and the cycle will continue.

Solution: Get back into the Champions League ASAP!

Obviously, that's easier said that done, but Liverpool's only priority this season must surely be to finish in the top four. Finishing 6th/7th and winning the Carling Cup just isn't going to cut it, and the prospect of a *fifth* year outside Europe's Premier competition doesn't bare thinking about, both in terms of retention/recruitment of players, and loss of vital revenue.

Can the Reds do it this season? An ongoing survey on the site suggests there is a lot of fan optimism, and I personally believe that top four is definitely achievable this season.






NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)


154 comments:

  1. liverpool4life5658:47 pm, July 18, 2013

    I'm sure we can do it. Our team is settled into a style. With four good buys we can challenge for top 4... E.g papadopoulous, Bernard, and a striker IF Suarez leaves and maybe a LB.

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  2. I sometimes wonder if Molby is kept awake at night thinking of new ways to depress Liverpool fans in his next interviews.

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  3. Why is Jan Molby always looking on the negative side, every time I see he has written about Liverpool FC it is to be pessimistic about one or another of our players. I thought he was a RED!!!

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  4. The way our summer has gone so far, I'm not confident but lets see who else comes in.


    I agree with Molby. Only thing we got going is that there are a never-ending production of talented Spanis attacking midfieders, so the big CL clubs may well not need Coutinho, if he becomes a consistently class player.

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  5. This is tiresome. The kid's been with us for half a season only and yet another ex-pro is spouting negativity. Why don't we just see what happens rather than looking at the worst case scenario?

    Having said that, I agree with you Jaimie, that part of the solution is to qualify for the Champion's League. However, as we've seen in Arsenal's case, even that is not enough for some players. We need to be winning trophies also.

    Unfortunately, I'm not as optimistic as others about UCL qualification. Who are we going to dislodge? I think Man City and Chelsea will be there at the end. The rest depends on who we and the other contenders buy. Our team isn't bad, but let's not forget that at the start of every season, we feel we have a chance, but the reality sets in when we realise that our performance level is not consistent enough, and that's simply because there's still not enough quality in the squad. As much as many dislike Suarez, he's a consistent performer - that's what quality brings, over and above just magical moments. If he goes, we definitely will not make top 4 unless we purchase 2 or 3 quality players in his stead.

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  6. if we sign a CB and a world class midfielder i believe we can get top four with or without suarez

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  7. Every team have the same issue hence the reason FSG says buy them young so we can pay off our debt!!! Football lost it's innocents when it signed it's first pay check!!

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  8. Je is not being negative; he is being a realist. Just because people have different opinions to you doesn't make them negative.

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  9. i wish i had your optimism but are team has 7th or 6th written all over it ....if suarez leaves ( and he will ) that leaves a 33 year old gerrard ....and a young brazillian who will get watched like a hawk second season round as our main men....rogers has no real standing in the game so its a big ask for him to attract players ...and fsg are just buying potential ....never thought id see the day where the mighty reds became a feeder club

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  10. I think the most important thing for us is to realize that we are one of the few teams that actually has a shot at getting Top 4 this season.


    Assuming ManU, Chelsea, and Man City are Top 3.


    That leaves LFC, Arsenal, Spurs, and Everton to battle it out for the 4th spot. I don't think anyone of those teams is that much better or worse, and based on our finish to the second half of the season, we have reason to be optimistic.


    Cautiously Optimistic.

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  11. if suarez leaves and sturridge gets injured are season will be over before it begins .....i just cant see this great squad ..we have loaned out suso who is better than borini ..we have sold shelvey who iMO is better than allen ....if we lose our first game panic will set in as we have no plan b

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  12. its a big if ...but who will rogers drop even if we do sign them..rogers doesnt know his best 11

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  13. I have to agree gilstrap. Been saying this all along!

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  14. I am a Liverpool fan but I am not kidding myself on this season, Look we have not got the quality anymore. If Gerrard gets injured who is his replacement ? I think our defence is not bad but we need 1 someone like Cissokho to challenge Enrique , He would cost 4-5 mill, 2 another cb ,Papadopoulos would be about 15m but I hear we don't want him now as he is ...over confident , 3 we need competition for Lucas Leiva or maybe a replacement as we Pool fans have been kidding ourselves on about him long enough. Rakitic is a good Central mid in our price range of about 10-12m I am sure . 4 Eriksen maybe wants to come so we should go for him as if we dont make top 4 this season top quality wont come to us unless they are supporters who dont care about cl football ! 5 soldado is a class striker but he is 28 so not sure if FSG or BR would want him . I would. 6 Bernard would be amazing on top of these transfers.
    59 mill but we will get 40 for Suarez.
    Cissokho 5m. Papadopoulos 15m, Rakitic 12m, Eriksen 15M,Soldado 12m.

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  15. liverpool4life5659:55 pm, July 18, 2013

    We was 12 points away from top 4 last year,(4 wins) which isn't bad when you saw how rubbish we started the season, and we've proven we can cope without Suarez. If we cut out the sloppy mistakes e,g skrtel back pass(losing two points) and reina mad moment against city we would of had a extra 4 points.. Also you put in the losses at west brom(twice) the real damage was lukaku who isn't there anymore so we have a good chance against them next season. Also IF we bring in a good defender hopefully papadopoulous then that would shore our defence up. Attacking wise we are fine....

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  16. just a wee note , why does everyone seem happy with what we have bought so far ? Mignolet and maybe Aspas are good buys I feel but we haven't got one over on our rivals for 4th thats for sure. I see Strootman is away to Roma , he would have been an excellent signing and I am pretty sure he would have come to us before Roma. I hope we don't keep missing out on top players as its going to make it harder to challenge for top 4.

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  17. Feeder club? Nonsense. If Rodgers gets his next couple of signings right, Liverpool will challenge for the top four this season, with or without Suarez (IMO)

    The main positive to consider is the club's form in the last 3 months of the season. From March onwards, LFC produced Champions League form and points return, and if you took the season from March onwards, LFC would've finished in 3rd place. It should also be remembered that Suarez was missing at the tail-end of the season.


    If the club continues that form in the new season, top four is a definite possibility.

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  18. so you think we will bring in 4 good buys then ?

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  19. To be fair, we didn't have much to play for in the latter part of last season. Knocked out of all the cups and 4th spot was beyond quite early on. Even 5th spot was. Totally different kettle of fish the league, when there is something big to play for, in terms of pressure. So I'm not sure how much of a reliable standard that period of form is.

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  20. I've put £50 on a Liverpool title so I certainly hope so!

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  21. We didn't have much to play for in that period of form. Barely any pressure. Knocked out of the cups. 4th spot may have been mathetically possible but realistically, we were out of that race early. When the pressure is on, when there is something big to play for, that is the test.

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  22. Opta performance stats show that Allen is superior to Shelvey when it comes to:

    * Passing
    * Tackling
    * Clearances
    * Blocks
    * Chance creation

    In what ways is Shelvey better than Allen?

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  23. gethatsouthamericantwatout10:09 pm, July 18, 2013

    this is what fsg wants to sell for a profit, liverpool are a feeder club with fsg stating buy cheap and sell for a profit, why do you think the new recruits are cheap as chips ,,cause fsg will be rubbing there hands in four years time ,,fsg have only money on there minds and the odd trophy is a bonus,,,

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  24. In the 'he puts himself about' column ;)

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  25. liverpool4life56510:12 pm, July 18, 2013

    What do you base this on? didn't they make a BIG loss on AC after spending 35 million on him....you don't have facts to back your comment up.... Also FSG don't plan the transfers BR and the committee do.

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  26. We are buying players to push us to the cl and top 4, it up to them to make sure we are in top 4, who is going to play football for them? I'm sick and tired of player looking for CL, the get paid to do the job; what else they need, Suarez missed 20 games in 2 seasons because of his behaviour, if you are a big player it is your job to make the club big, you want CL? Push us there then.

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  27. Whilst you make some valid points, you don't win anything with 'ifs'. There will always be a 'back pass' or a 'Lukaku' to contend with. We have to make our own luck. If the teams who finished above us last term strengthen, we will struggle to make top 4. Coping without a player of Suarez' ability and consistency for a handful of games is not the same as coping over a full season. If he goes, high quality alternatives must be brought in.

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  28. liverpool4life56510:21 pm, July 18, 2013

    To be fair we done well with the squads we had, the form we showed that we had got to grips with the style and we have a good future Ahead of us... with the players that have come in aspas(bring us more goals at least 12+) also if we sign another attacking midfield similar to coutinho then we would have dangerous attacking options, I'm sure we as a team created the most chances in Europe. Hopefully this season we take more of the,.

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  29. i hope your right jaimie but as original chan says we look great when there is no pressure stroking it about.....when ever the game actually means anything we fold like a cheap suit

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  30. liverpool4life56510:23 pm, July 18, 2013

    IF we bring in papadopoulous, or Ajax CB, and Banard, and cissiko and IF Suarez goes bring in either Muriel,bentekke,Martinez... These are all players we've enquired about before.

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  31. Good points, but I believe the consistency would've been there even if LFC were seriously challenging for the top four. Coutinho and Sturridge still would've scored goals, and the team would've progressed at a steady pace.


    The club also had to contend with a failed transfer policy last season. None of Rodgers' summer signings made any specific impact all season, so that was a handicap. Despite that, LFC finished only 12 points behind 4th. If BR continues his good transfer performance, the club will already have a major advantage over last season, and that bodes well.

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  32. i cant resist IF my aunty had balls shed be my uncle ...lot of ifs...if we sign him ...if we dont cockup..im sure that logic applies to all teams

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  33. liverpool4life56510:25 pm, July 18, 2013

    I totally agree with you we need to bring good quality players IF Suarez goes....

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  34. I'm just wary about getting carried away with the form we showed in the last part of the season. It makes a hell of difference, when playing without pressure. Try adapting to a new style when the pressure is on. It is the character, results and style we show when the pressure is on that matters.

    I don't mean to put a total downer on that period of form, as its good to see Sturridge and Coutinho hit the ground well. I'm still cautious about them as its early days but nice to see anyway.



    I'm just wary about it being used as a basis of optimism. Maybe I'm being overly cautious about it but thats me and my perception I guess :)

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  35. I'm definitely cautious about Sturridge. When fit, he's great, but he seems to get injured with alarming regularity, which means he's unreliable. He's missing a large chunk of pre-season recovering from injury, so he probably won't be 100% at the start of the new season. With Suarez banned for 6 games (if he stay) there will be a lot of pressure on Sturridge to score, but if he's injured, what then?


    If Suarez leaves, two new strikers are needed IMO.

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  36. liverpool4life56510:28 pm, July 18, 2013

    I don't think wary is a bad thing it's good. I guess we will have just see who else BR brings In :)

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  37. the flip side of the coin is that apart from everton all the teams above us didnt play that well ...i dont think city ,spurs.utd.arsenal and chelsea will play as bad as they did last year...

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  38. I'm hoping Spurs don't get rid of Adebayor, as he is a big handicap on their goalscoring ;)


    If they keep Adebayor and sell Bale, I'll be that little bit more optimistic about our chances!

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  39. just making a point jaimie when a player uses your club as a stepping stone to another club like it or not you are a feeder club...it doesnt sit well but it is what it is

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  40. Maybe we will have a problem with coutinho if he carries on performing so well, but at least we only paid just inder 10 million and we could make a massive profit if we have to sell which is what fsg are trying to do. Ideally we will qualify for the champions league through winning the leaugue and all star players will be content.!!!!

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  41. and theres a pink elephant sitting at the bottom of my garden

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  42. i love your optimism to who we will sign .....your only missing cruyff and pele lol

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  43. Still see us being bullied off the pitch by bigger physical teams, we've done nothing to address this! The likes of Lakaku, Benteke, Dembele, Wanyama etc will slice through our defence like a knife through butter! We still lack physical presence & an extra goal scorer!

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  44. thats my point also...i feel we will really struggle if we have a bad winter full of wind and rain ...the team is just not equipped for a slog in the park

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  45. liverpool4life56510:42 pm, July 18, 2013

    Didn't I say? "Players we've enquired or bid for" these are not ME just name dropping names I want...

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  46. hes bigger and can score goals plus he uses less shampoo

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  47. fsg are playing the fans for tobies enquiring about all types of players they have no intention of signing a bit like arsenal and suarez

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  48. liverpool4life56510:46 pm, July 18, 2013

    Not really, why would they? They've shown since taking over they WILL spend. That's why we are 3rd highest spending wise behind City and Chelsea WITHOUT CL.

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  49. to be honest jaimie i dont even know why i responded to you allen IMO is poor and was a waste of money and shelvy no longer plays for us

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  50. You & some posters on here might panic but that's just because you tend to be negative. I'm confident our new signings will do well if given time to settle. If Suarez does go we will replace - just as we did with Owen, Torres etc.

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  51. liverpool4life56510:48 pm, July 18, 2013

    Stats prove you wrong. Also it was his first year at the club lets see what he does in the second, also he what 22/23 still young still time to develop.

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  52. what is there net spend when you take out the transfer fees paid for torres and co im just curious because they got the club on the cheap economists reckon

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  53. what stat is that the stat which shows no assists...if you think allen is the answer in midfield good for you i dont

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  54. liverpool4life56510:51 pm, July 18, 2013

    That doesn't matter, because there STILL out it back into the club and put even more, as a club, you've got to balance the books.

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  55. liverpool4life56510:54 pm, July 18, 2013

    We wasted the money. Then we went on another spending spree on rubbish. Paying over odds and losing more money..l

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  56. I agree that Allen has not justified his 15m fee yet.

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  57. im not panicking to be honest im not arsed ive got more things to worry about in my life....im not being negative either i just don't see the optimism that others do ...its hardly an endorsement when your best player doesn't rate your chances...the way i see it is our season is depending on players we havnt signed yet...a player who is leaving a player who is always injured....and a kid who will get kicked pillar to post second time round

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  58. liverpool4life56510:56 pm, July 18, 2013

    He done quiet well, I don't know his assist ratio but playing CDM most of the time then he can hardly go forward, we will see next year how he does.

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  59. Wanyama would've been great in that regard, but LFC missed the boat yet again.

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  60. if hes our cdm god help us

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  61. liverpool4life56511:02 pm, July 18, 2013

    He isn't that bad, all he needs to do is hit the gym like Lucas did when he first came to us. He got a good future ahead of him.

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  62. If we retain our prize asset, whose name goes without saying, strengthen our backline AND continue the form we showed at the back end of last season, we can make the top four... Realistically, that's gonna be difficult, and I just don't think we'll achieve it. For me, the only glimmer of hope is that 4th, 5th and 6th haven't significantly improved their squads as of yet.

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  63. I will bet my House and garage
    That top 4 is A FANTASY..
    Look how rubbish Arsenall
    Were last season...and STILL finished
    Higher..

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  64. Great new interview with BR on the liverpool echo. BR getting tough with Suarez. Saying all the right things, said "if cavini went for £55 mill then swarez is in that bracket, even then we don't need to accept it, we have money and will buy and don't need or want to sell. We are in total control of the situation"
    Go on BR you tell him, this could get the best out of swarez, fire us to the CL.

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  65. Molby is bang on the money here, this is something i have argued myself. Stars only stay if your winning. Young talents are all well and good, but if you dont sign world class players for today as well as the future you are just training them up for the elite clubs. If any of our young players do well, the elite clubs will come knocking and very few will turn them down.


    Balance. its all about balance. Young talent signed mixed with plays who can play today to make sure as a min you get fourth.


    Without CL are saleries are getting less by the year, this makes it harder and harder to sign top players, esp when you have the likes of Monaco offering 200k a week to players. You have to be able to offer either big money or CL. If you offer none be prepared to miss out on most tops names.

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  66. What then Jaimie?! WHAT THEN?!! I'LL TELL YOU WHAT THEN!! BORINI!!!!!!! :P!!!

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  67. if suarez wants champions league football maybe he should honour his contract , and put him self in our history as a player that helped us get there ,if we allow suarez to go to another premier league club like arsenal then say good bye to trying to get 4th , say good bye to the likes of coutinho and others as well in the future , if suarez does stay on with us we have to make the champions league next year , or he will be definately gone next summer , i hope and pray that we havent finished our summer spending yet, and all this paper talk isnt just rumours, because we really still need that extra bit of quality on the park and it needs to be done asap , ynwa

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  68. We WILL qualify for CL!!!

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  69. Mobly is right. The ambitions of the owners need to match those of the fans. If we have another couple of mediocre seasons than can you blame Suarez, Coutinho, Torres, Mascherano, Alonso for wanting to leave? I dont and I said this 6 months ago. I truly feel for Suarez he plays literally with his guts and you can see how much winning means to him - if the club dont show ambition by bringing in 2-3 marquee signings then obviously they will be deflated. Infact I think we are only 2-3 marquee signings away from winning the league.

    The positives from last season are that we created the most chances across europe. Even in the PL we were one of the highest scorers that after a first half where we had only Suarez upfront.

    On a positive note BR highlighted that the Agger Skirtel partnership wasnt working and brought in Carragher to shore up the defence. This season he has bought in Toure - i think its a good move. We need cultured players at the back. Im not sure how good Mignolet is but its clear that Pepe needed competition to keep him on his toes. He was very poor during dalglish's full season and cost us many points.

    We are still perhaps an strong midfielder short and perhaps someone like Diame needs to be looked at - I dont see what role Allen can play at the moment unless he shows great improvement. Infact I think Henderson was brilliant towards the end of the season and outperformed Allen.

    Though there is still a month I still think we have done well to improve whereas those that were above us havent done anything yet. I feel Everton may suffer from having to move onto a different style of playing after Moyes going. I think United may be poorer because Moyes will be without many experienced players through retirement and perhaps even Rooney. The question will be can they survive on the goals of RVP alone?

    City have spent a fair bit and it will be interesting to see how pelligrini moulds the old and the new. Arsenal havent done much so far apart from make a half hearted bid for suarez. If they were really ambition a straight forward 50 million bid would have done it - ala Chelsea (Torres).

    Spurs are heavily reliant still on bale and it depends on whether he goes and when he goes to forsee how spurs will perform.

    So yes we have a great chance of a top 4 finish, maybe even better. Im hopeful that BR can still bring in 2-3 quality players to shore up the defence and midfield. And if Suarez goes then we are going to need the money is well spent. We cant rely on having a great jan transfer window as we will be playing catch up again.

    I have a feeling that Southampton maybe a dark horse this season and forecast a top 10 position for them.

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  70. I want spurs to keep Bale. He is good but he is only one player. As seen with us having Suarez, having one awesome player don`t make you win the title or get fourth. They sell Bale and they might have 50 plus mil in the bank to sign 3 top players, and have a stronger team overall. Spurs currently rely on Bale, if they keep him and he gets injured or has a bad game they are more likely to lose games as opposed to if they sold him and signed a few good players.

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  71. Everything about you is negative. You're such a piece of shit!

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  72. Don't worry so much. First priority get into champs league. Even players who are in champ league can move away to another club.

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  73. Molby should shut his mouth, I'm sick of his negative comments.

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  74. That is one of the ways to look at it, a good way at that.

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  75. Theycallmemrburt2:55 am, July 19, 2013

    if he does go....we moneyball his ass!! £30m at least! He has the potential to be a great but we need to have a team of players that are willing to grow together. If ever young Coutino wants to leave he knows how to operate the door.



    LFC will survive.................

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  76. Often, CL games is used as an excuse to leave a club. We don't know exactly what Suarez problem is. Liverpool did not treat him badly. He dug his own grave with the media. Sure, the media were biased against him for his diving but he gave them further ammunition by behaving stupidly like biting.


    And now he seems to be biting the hand that feeds him and his family with all his "come and get me" comments. Sadly, he appears to be prostituting himself to the highest bidder. I'm a big fan of his but this is no way to repay Liverpool.


    Rightly said, if you are a big player, you should try to get the club back into CL.

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  77. Excellent point, Zanatos.


    Actually, if you can sale a player over the board price, it always helps, no matter how good a player he is, IF you reinvest properly. Like Sir Alex sold CR for record 80mn & went on to win next 3 EPL.


    Bale was outstanding last year (just behind Suarez IMO) but Spurs were entirely dependent on him. This season, even if he keeps his last years' form, I am sure teams 'll plan different marking strategy to stop him & Spurs 'll struggle. On contrary, if Spurs gets 50mn+ for him, they can get 3 top quality players to further strengthen the squad.


    3 years back, in similar situation, we got 50mn & stupidly blew the money. Actually, KK spent 120mn or so (net 60mn) in 2 window & wasted almost entire amount (not a single player of his purchase are assured starter or contributed justified their price tag). Think about FT leaving for 50mn & instead of paying for Carroll, Downing, Henderson & Adam (75mn +), suppose we spent the amount for Hulk (17mn then), Jackson Martinez (8mn), Negrado (15mn), Mata (20mn) & still few mns left.


    It always help if you can sell any player over the price & we should have sold Skartel to City for the double price than now he 'll draw.

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  78. Ok, our form may not have been totally accurate due to us being out of the running for top 4 and top 5, however, that period, we did show good form and it gave us the chance to adapt to the new playing style, now we have adapted.

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  79. We have Sturridge and Borini, who imo will come good, why not give the likes of Yesil or Morgan a chance?

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  80. I actually see our problem last year in a different way. EARLY GOAL was key to our success. Be with or without Suarez, whenever we scored early, because of the possession that we kept, lower half teams (whoever) had to come out & we could score plenty. But, we were too dependent on individual skill to unlock the packed defense, & in few cases (WBA, Southampton, Villa) got hurt by counter attacks.



    Against top 5/6 teams, we did manage lot of goals, but just didn't have the back line to hold on to the lead (were a bit unlucky as well with MCity, Chelsea & MU games). I don't think it was anything regarding pressure. Also, we were too thin a squad last year & struggled for consistency. & we started with a very tough schedule with a single striker.



    This year, Suarez is the key, if stays or not. If he stays, with the attacking lineup, we are bound to score more, I am sure about that; but need to consolidate back line. If he leaves, I hope it's early (by the cut-off 21st July date) so that we have 5 weeks to reinvest that 40mn+ properly (instead of panic buy like Carroll).



    We have a much settled squad this year & with only 3mn net layout already have strengthen the squad significantly. Off-loading proceeds from unwanted players + FSG commitment + Luis Suarez/40mn (either way), we are looking for possible another 80-85mn for this & next window. Without the European nights (& Thursday-Sunday fixture), I am sure we 'll be able to hold a top 5 five position till DEC, & then it's all about holding nerves.

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  81. To be fair, FSG bought Suarez before they sold Torres, so at the time, it was net spend.

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  82. True enough, if we don't get back into CL football we'll not be assured of keeping those truly top-drawer players. They'll stick around for a period of time but eventually want to move up to the next level. I think that's somewhat reasonable. Playing for a Liverpool team that hovers around 5th and 6th each season isn't what they'll consider the pinnacle of football. I think sticking around for a team that ultimately goes nowhere isn't how you want to live out your career. Stevie G, for all his lack of a PL title, still has a European Cup in his cabinet and he's seen Liverpool twice push for a title. That's probably the minimum of what most players expect from Liverpool, it's why our name and our reputation are still a draw-card, even if we're struggling right now. We simply have to keep improving if we are to keep these players at the club, and then be able to attract more to strengthen each year.

    I think 4th this coming season might be a step too far. It depends really on who we end up with in the squad, Suarez included, and if the new players can have an instant impact. We were still 12 points off and other teams are going to look to improve too. I think we'll be close, but unless we really have things fall our way I'd say 5th is a realistic expectation. Then we have to improve again to move up into the real serious business area of the PL which will mean a few more signings and continued evolution of the team under Rodgers. It's a lot to ask. Not impossible at all, and it's what we're aiming for, but there no question it might just not work out that way.

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  83. We might be doing injustice to FSG. Yes, they got the club in cheap, but without them, we would had been in administration (& probably in League 1/2) by now. They have off-loaded the debt servicing.

    FSG did spend money (albeit inclusive of massive proceeds from sale), but due to their ignorance & incompetence of our previous manager/Scouting we blew most of the money. After his initial hiccups (though, I still believe Borini & Allen 'll prove their worth), looking at BR's performance since January, think about giving him another 100mn in this & next window (exactly what was given to KK).

    Our financials are so good now (debt servicing, salary payouts, sponsorships, brand value, fan base, merchandising) that, if we can qualify for CL, we 'll be financially in better position than most clubs in the world barring those with sugar daddy (& may be Real, Barca & Bayarn). It's unfortunate that, we didn't get such an owner when we were in CL regularly.

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  84. I have to ask ... whose money we spend on these marquee signings? Liverpool is still not a massively profitable club, we have a solid, although manageable, lump of debt and we don't have the income that comes from being one of the better teams in Europe. If we are to spend up on big money transfers then it's money that has to be loaned to the club, so our debt grows. Owners don't just cough up out of their own pockets, even City and Chelsea operate on zero interest "loans" from their mega-rich owners. Both those clubs are massively in debt because of it, I'm not sure it's a position I want us to be in. What happens when you spend all that money and it doesn't work?


    I can see what the club is trying to do now and it's about not increasing the debt while being careful with signings. We were willing to spend 20 million on Mkhitaryan and we've spent well in most recent windows. I think that should be enough. No, it's not like City or Real or Barca, but we just don't operate like those clubs and I don't think we should. What we're doing right now seems to be working, we ARE getting better, it's just taking some time. To me, that's how it should be. If it has to happen overnight then sure, splash a few hundred million, but otherwise we need to be patient and recognise that the club is heading in the right direction.

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  85. May be he is not happy that his old pal KK was ousted & replaced by an unknown young man, who honestly, by all measures is doing much, much better.



    I have seen similar comments from Lawro, Nale & few other KK era players. On contrary, recent former players like Fowler, Hamman had been full of praises with the direction the club is moving.

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  86. I'm not that enamored with that take on it as indicated earlier but I won't get into it again, with all due respect. Me and liverpool4life565 debated this angle already to an extent, so it would be somewhat repetitive of me (again, I know) to do it again, apologies.

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  87. Yeah, this talk of a 40 million pound clause is nonsense, it would be a massive mistake to have something like that in a contract for a player who has always actively talked about his prospects elsewhere. Fans might complain a lot these days about club management but we're not run by idiots, not by any stretch. We simply don't have to sell him and if we do it's going to be for a massive amount of money. We really can't lose.

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  88. I think so, but probably quite deliberately. It just seems obvious to me that Rodgers is not interested in playing that kind of football. He's going to stick to his plans of possession and control which I think is fair enough. You can't miss the boat if you don't try and catch it in the first place.

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  89. Agree, but "with" Suarez only. Even if we replace him with someone like Lewandwiski, Soldado, Higuan or Benzama, he 'll take half a season to settle in ENG, that's costing at least 5 points. I believe, the 4th team 'll need 75 points; 14 from our last year. Without Suarez it 'll go to 20; not see happening this year.

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  90. I think we're still chasing 2 big players. All the news said we were willing to pay up for Mkhitaryan so there will be a similar player lined up after that fell through. That and another quality defender, Rodgers and Ayre have both said we're still shopping, so we don't have to make a conclusion yet. The signings so far are good, but Rodgers has explicitly said he's looking for more players to have a real impact on the team, really make us better. I don't think he's making it up.

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  91. Rogers know his best XI better than any other Manager since Rafa. He might have own likings, but he knows his team. At least I don't expect him to buy Poulsen, Kanchelski (& play them regularly) or replace Carroll with Downing (when the second one was bought at twice to supply hoof balls to the first one, bought at 3 times).



    & I don't see him off-loading an Italian & Portuguese International for the sake of British "Talunts" like Charle "Scott Zizu" Adam or Jay "Yaya" Spearing.

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  92. Its understandable that they don't want to continue at LFC because they also have their dreams which they've to pursue and we can't blame them for it. The only solution is to get in CL and also win trophies or else no why'd a top quality player would want to come to us.

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  93. Don't put so much fate in sturridge mate he is a glass cannon and will get injured a lot

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  94. they have paulinho he is a game changer himself ..... also dembele will come good this season i have a feeling this season those peeps will come off good unfortunately

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  95. "Yet" being the key word in that sentence, Hendo's first season was poor and I think in his second season he has earned his starting place, Allen could do the same. In my eyes he was/is better than Shelvey. Jonjo had all the promise but didn't delivered. Allen in my eyes offered something in the first 3rd of the season.

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  96. I'll save my real judgement on our summer dealings after the window has closed. Right now it promises to be a good window, that can all change with a telephone call

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  97. You think we missed the boat or we decided that he wasn't worth it? I think BR has the way he wants to play (right or wrong) and he doesn't see a big physical non technical bully as part of his plan

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  98. Wow how positive are we , once again a negative piece of badly written journalism

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  99. What is it with so much negativity coming from the older generation like Molby and Nicol? Just because they are club legends who won everything, they think they have a given right to be negative about current state of affairs. Rather than look at Coutinho jumping ship, perhaps he should be saying "Look at Coutinho, 20 years old not getting a game at Inter, but comes to Liverpool and shows his class. Other 20/21 year olds should take note. Liverpool are a club which will harness young talent if good enough".

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  100. What is it with modern LFC fans who attack any opinion different from their own as 'negative'? Why can't Molby have his view? He is not being negative in the slightest; what he says is reality, and fans don't like reality.

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  101. I'm not attacking anyone. I just think he could be positive about our situation rather than say "Coutinho will leave if we dont get CL football".
    I am 100% with the reality that Liverpool are no longer the driving force we were and also we are well off from winning the Premier League. The top four are now - Man U, Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea. They will be for some time.
    Man City have just spent £100m this summer to attempt to regain the championship - 100m! Chelsea & Arsenal all seem to have money to spend too.

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  102. I agree.........we need to be seriously challenging for top 4 up until at least the last day of this season in order to show players like Coutinho and other foreign players that the club is moving in the right direction.
    Based on the past few seasons and as a betting man, you would have to back last season's top 3 to remain next season's top 3 (albeit in different orders perhaps), Spurs to swap positions with Arsenal and at best LFC to swap positions with the Toffees. It's going to be a monumental task for LFC to make the top 4 this season and I for one do not expect it to happen....I can only dream.
    What this season MUST show is that LFC is getting towards being back amongst the Prem's elite with a top 4 finish more than likely by the end of the following season (2014/15). If we somehow manage it this coming season then IMO BR will have pulled off a mini miracle, particularly if Suarez moves on.


    As much as it pains me to say this, we need to be realistic and therefore take a pragmatic view on the situation. Getting back into the CL by the end of this season will be harder than any challenge LFC has faced for a number of seasons. Only Gerrard now remains as a player who has tasted real success with the club and to a lesser degree Reina & Agger having won an FA Cup (2206) and playing in a CL final (2007).


    It feels like we're just starting again, much in the same way as when Rafa replaced Houllier which is now 9 seasons ago. That was the beginning of a great European era where we able to not only join Europe's elite but actually truly compete, challenge and even conquer. Hopefully 10 years on we'll be starting a new European crusade but there is LOT of work to be done in order for that to happen.

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  103. I think consistency is the key..we played some 7-8 games very poorly last season.we can limit those number to 2-3 than we have a chance..

    And this time we have squad depth also, so consistency can be improved..

    Players and manager are more hungry to prove their worth..

    BUT only worry for me is competition, Like us other teams are rebuilding their squad,. Arsenal, Chelsea, Manu , Manc, totteham all of them have better squad than us.

    Player's hunger and consistency can take us to top 4..

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  104. if we sell suarez to arsenal then forget 4th spot we won't have a chance, as he will give arsenal 20 goals plus so they will be in the top 4, if we have to sell him then he has to go abroad, not to a team we are fighting against to be in the top 4, maybe we can still get a good goal return from the players we bought in and the players we have, it showed at the end of the season we scored plenty in the last few games but if suarez goes to arsenal it will give them a guaranteed top 4 finish, if he is sold then the owner's need to be thinking about selling liverpool fc and buying a team that is playing mid table with mid table fans because liverpool fc don't deserve to be treated this way, we are the best fans in the world and this is proven by the loyalty we show by not moving on to other teams that are shining, liverpool fans are not like other fans we are their in good times and bad, of course we dream about being the team we once was and we support them no matter what, so if the liverpool board love this team like we do then no matter what arsenal offer they won't sell suarez to them, YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE, if carling made fans they would be liverpool fans :)

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  105. Jan Molby is talking way too much pre season, especially about negative points. The fact's are liverpool creating 542 goalscoring opportunities last season ( The most in europe). If lfc get more rub of the green which all clubs need, and more chances go in the net instead of hitting thewoodword, or go inches wide, molbys point would be debunked, so its pointless talking about it. we have as much chance of any club of getting in the champions league, end of story.

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  106. Are Utd a feeder club then? Every team has someone who does that..

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  107. it was chealsea who payed over the odds. 15 mill plus andy carroll that's what the deal was. mike ashby played hardball with roman cos he knew how desparate roman was for torries and since we have moved carroll on doin the sums 15 +17 million =32 millon that's the sum we got for her

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  108. 12/13 NET total spend: £40.8m

    11/12 NET total spend: £35.3m

    The only free window was the Torres sale season, and that was only £5m in profit after getting £50m in the last two days added to the £17m for Masch late on. They spent that plus another £30m the next window.

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  109. True, but pessimism, especially endless pessimism, does not make that person any more realistic than a more balanced view of mixing pessimism with optimism.
    I have a neighbour who every day says it's going to rain tomorrow, this good weather won't last. Been saying it for a couple of weeks now. One day, it will rain and he'll say: See I was right...

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  110. £50? Unbelievable! For this season?

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  111. Arsenal won the most games of anyone in the run in last season

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  112. Spot on analysis Zanatos.
    4th before everything next season.
    To misquote Costner: If you get there, they will come......

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  113. In terms of in-game management, I felt Rodgers did a relatively good job with the plan B.


    He usually has problems with Plan A.


    As crazy as that might sound.

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  114. I feel I'm plenty realistic.
    Just don't subscribe the "We're Doomed" style of thinking being any more realistic.
    Molby is entitled to his view, he's been wrong more than right so far imo

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  115. Molby has said nothing negative. He's stated the obvious, i.e. top players may leave if LFC don't qualify for the CL. That is a reality, and just because fans don't want to consider it doesn't mean it's negative.

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  116. I don't mind us playing poorly at times, as long as we have the character and mentality grind out wins/draws from them. Good teams do have off days but they are still capable of grinding out points from them off days. That is a test we haven't passed in years.

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  117. Man United didn't even reinvest much in the first XI after they sold Ronaldo, beyond a decent Valencia. The rest of the buys in that summer they sold Ronaldo and the following summer, they bought squad or raw young players. With or without Ronaldo, they have had that winning mentality and a good squad that has been there for a long time, whereas the likes of Spurs and Liverpool are in somewhat different kind of circumstances. I get where Zanatos is coming from and see the merit in it but that Ronaldo-Man United example, isn't much to do with how you reinvest the money (still plays a part) but more to do with the other qualities/characteristics of that club (sadly!). Yes, if you spend money, do it right, I agree with the principle but it is more than just about buying in the right players, it is also about the mentality of the team, the squad, the manager to move on from a big player departure, etc. One weakness I've hated about us is the weak shoddy mentality over the last decade or two. It has been like that of a mid-table team in a way. Mourinho left a stamp on Chelsea's mentality from his first spell, which was carried post-Jose by the likes of Terry, Drogba, Lampard, etc, which helped the likes of Grant & Ancelotti. Character and mentality is a test this squad and this manager have yet to pass. Until then, I'm remaining cautious, admittedly.




    Urgh, please no Hulk! ;)

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  118. Yep, if the keep Dembele and Sandro fit, they have a quality midfield. Dembele did well last season, when fit. I think he is quality, badly wanted him here, instead of Allen. They just need a good striker or two.

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  119. How KK II's second half of 2011/12 season compare with Rodgers' second half of last season, in terms of points?

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  120. Is top four achievable? Do I think we can finish above City Spurs Arsenal Chelsea? No. Why, these clubs have not even spent yet and they will. On paper we dont have the squad and were gambling on new signings hitting the ground running. Our fans need to realise we are a top.6 club now hence the wage reduction by our owners. I don't like it but I can understand the logic. Weve one of the biggest bills in the league without finishing in the top 4 for years now. If Suarez stays Gerrard stays fit we have an outside chance. But its getting tougher each season. Arsenal and Utd have financial power with their stadiums. City n Chelsea r moneybags. How are we expected to compete with that? I dont see our situation improving anytime soon.

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  121. On the books and transfer records, it probably doesn't say that and rightly so. No amount of spin will change that. Just got to take it on the chin that BOTH Liverpool and Chelsea came out of it bad.

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  122. is anyone else getting fed up with jan molby sticking his beak in and having an opinion on everything Liverpool . I grew up watching him play for us , an exceptional player but I am tired of his negative opinions and comments

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  123. JK - Enjoying reading your blogs as always, and i like your different view on "our" club. and i fully agree with you in the post, its a complete FACT, if we do not soon qualify for the CL we are going to become a "feeder club" the prospect of this i can not bear to this of, i hope good hope of CL qualification this time around and IMO we have a good chance (better than last) WE are moving forward at a decent pace (not great but "decent") i like the way BR has us playing and i like the fact he OWNS the club. BR states and i quote " LS isn't going anywhere" i for one hope we keep hold of him. JK ik for all his bad that he does (i do not condone him) he is a 30 goal a season striker (name me another that "WE" could attract) and with him we will be in the CL next season.


    YNWA


    (JK - keep up the good work)

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  124. JK Sir, where is my post?

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  125. Thing is Wanyama is not your average lump who gets his body in the way. He's as dynamic as they come & was magnificent in the champions league last season. In him there is the makings of a Viera! The Germans really showed what brawn, athleticism & football intelligence can do against tic tac paddy wack football. Arsenal tic tak all day long and are trophyless, if we don't add any height or strength it will be a monumental error on Brendan's part. I hope Diame is still up for grabs?

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  126. gethatsouthamericanout9:36 pm, July 19, 2013

    new owners got fans on side with the one and only big spending spree fact peanuts ever since,,,

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  127. gethatsouthamericanout9:42 pm, July 19, 2013

    do me a favour support someone you know something about ,,,,,,BR you say plans transfers etc,,,,, its funny you should say that cause BR;s plans didnt account for much when he went looking for dempsey and the yanks said no ,,,,,

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  128. gethatsouthamericanout9:43 pm, July 19, 2013

    ohh and carroll costed 15million after torres sale ,,as i said before peanuts

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  129. liverpool4life56510:00 pm, July 19, 2013

    Think you need to do more research.

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  130. liverpool4life56510:04 pm, July 19, 2013

    You don't know what your talking about. And I'm glad they said no because then we wouldn't of got coutinho or Sturridge. Everything happens for a reason.

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  131. liverpool4life56510:06 pm, July 19, 2013

    But that shouldn't matter. STILL 35 million wasted.

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  132. m8 its you who hasnt a clue,,fsg stopped dempsey deal

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  133. care to explain ur depth of knowledge concerning what is the true spending figures,,,remember to take away money received for players from ur grand total of money spent,,,cant wait for this,,,

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  134. Agree. Until we get back to WINNING ways, players will want to leave. Fair. However, its also only fair they CANNOT leave for another direct rival epl club as this will only perpetuate our losing cycle.Maybe LFC start need to writing that into whatever contract is drawn to try and break this unfortunate cycle.Fairness should be fair after all for ALL parties concerned.

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  135. liverpool4life5655:09 pm, July 20, 2013

    I know alot more than you, and so? Dempsey was too old. And we got coutinho and Sturridge after anyway. I rather have them two than Dempsey.

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  136. liverpool4life5655:10 pm, July 20, 2013

    They spent 50+ million on players and staff last season. without CL that's ALOT.

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  137. Mate you realise that's Jason Carr don't you?

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  138. liverpool4life5655:29 pm, July 20, 2013

    IF it is then that's pretty sad :)

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  139. If the owners actually back B Rodgers with £35-£55m of their own money and also let Rodgers use any money he brings to club on player sales outwards then we would have a serious chance of making top 4 this year.
    Rodgers still needs to ship out these 8 dead wood average players:
    1: GK: B Jones 2:RB: Flanagan 3: CB: Coates
    4: DM: Spearing 5: AM: Pacheco 6: RW / RWF : Assaidi
    7: LW / LWF: Downing 8: FD: Borini
    I am sure B Rodgers could recoupe back £22- £26M selling the last load of dead wood average Hard working players still at club who offer club, rival team mates very little class quality competition for their place.
    Then If P Reina is sold or loaned out this summer, A Mccarthy(23) Of Reading should be brought to club for £4-£7M to compete with Mignolet(25) for the next 5-10 years to be clubs NO 1.
    Suarez is a world class player and currently the third best player in world football, but he has shown he is not loyal and wants out and has shown a lack of loyalty and respect to his manager, his team mates, the club and us the fans with all his comments in trying to force move out of club.
    At end of day, No Player is bigger than the club and Suarez should be sold this summer if his price is met, minimum bid of £55m and upwards.
    If the club do not get an offer in that amount we should keep him at club, But if Real Madrid want to offer player and cash , then Higuain and £35M cash is the only deal Rodgers and the owners should look at.
    Higuain is not worth £35, more like £20 to £25M.
    And then with all the money required:
    Sale of dead wood players: £22-£26M
    Owners monety towards Transfers: £35-£55m
    Suarez sale: Higuain and £35M Cash or £55M
    So Rodgers could and would have £92M- £116M and Higuain Or £136M to spend
    If Rodgers had the first option of £92-£116M and Higuain
    Then Rodgers should bring in these 9 players also:
    Five Solid Mobile Defensive Players:
    1: GK : A Mccarthy(23) Of Reading for sum betwenn £4-£7M to compete with Mignolet (Priority 2)
    2: CB: K Papadopolous(21) Of Schalke for sum between £12-£15M to compete with Skrtel. (Priority 1)
    3: CB: T Alderwierld(24) Of Ajax for sum between £6-£9M to compete with Agger and Toure. (Priority 2)
    4: LB: A Cissokho(25) Of Valenica for sum between £4-£6M to compete with Enrique (Priority 1)
    5: E Capoue(24) Of Toulouse for sum between £7-£10M to compete with Lucas ( Priority 1)

    4 Class Creative Mobile Pacey Quality Attacking Players:
    6: AM: I Munian(20) Of A Bilbao for sum between £10-£15M to compete with Alberto and Coutinho (Priority 1)
    7: RW / RWF: C Tello(21) Of Barcelona for sum between £9-£16M to compete with Sterling ( Priority 1)
    8: LW / LWF: B Arfa(26) Of Newcastle for sum between £8-£14M to compete with IBE
    9: FD: L Muriel(23) Of Udinese for sum between £8-£16M To compete with Aspas , Higuain and Sturridge. ( Priority 2)
    The 8 dead wood players been sold and shipped out, plus the sale of L Suarez and whether P Reina is sold or loaned out, that would be 10 players would have been shipped out. And they should be replaced with the 10 players i mentioned, 10 out and 10 in.
    But the 10 players out only 2 of them were class and world class, but of the 10 players coming in, all 10 of them are class and quality and they all have the potential to be world class at our club.

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  140. Tough but we have a shot if we stay consistent plus the change of managers at the top should help us apart from Chelsea who are favorites for the title now. United, city, Chelsea should be in, so spurs arsenal and us have to fight it out again. Everton will probably do better in the cups under Martinez. If key players don't get injured then we can hope..

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  141. knob lol u didnt take away money gained from selling and releasing players brings to down to about 15million spent

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  142. ,,,,lol explain kolo toure deal then ,,,or sorry put ur mindnumbing spin on it,,,clueless armchair supporter,,,

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  143. sorry m8 jason carr was with ur mum at the time of typing

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  144. liverpool4life5654:33 pm, July 21, 2013

    He A free? Your talking nonesense. I don't have time for it. So goodbye:)

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  145. what about his age ,,ur not making sense ,,u say one thing then cant back it up when pushed pathetic

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  146. liverpool4life5655:26 pm, July 21, 2013

    I said he a FREE, that's why we signed him. Can't you read? so I did back it up. What a fool you look now.

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  147. liverpool4life5655:26 pm, July 21, 2013

    I said he a FREE, that's why we signed him. Can't you read? so I did back it up.

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  148. wasteoftimethissite8:08 pm, July 21, 2013

    so what about his age or will my comment be deleted again strange no abusive talk just i stated his age ,,,bit weird maybe ur jamie wanker under a different name,,,,

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  149. id disagree with you adam. Simply because the bulk of dalglish's spending was from sales and the bulk of BR's spending is from sales. Yes FSG have shored up the balance sheet but in terms of outlay on players it hasnt been huge. Like Fergie showed last season one RVP is enough to win you the league. He could have just said 25 million is too much for a 28 year old etc but im sure they will make as much from shirt sales to cover his fee!

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  150. I cant wait to hear everyone's feedback on
    this bomb. :) A bit off subj but it is all about money
    these days and club health of finances. Why
    not float shares on the NYSE similar to MU. Hate it but it is working for
    them. They seem to be able to generate revenue all over hand over
    fist. Sometimes I wonder if LFC just set
    up a fan donation account, match certain levels of donations with merchandise
    etc. But I wouldn't mind holding a minor
    stock certificate even tho I know it is relatively worthless. At least I know the funds would be injected to
    the club at a time when its needed. We
    need players on top of funds going towards stadium redevelopment. I have no problem being 2nd club to float
    shares.

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  151. I agree, with you're assessment. But we can't let Suarez go to the Gooners. If he does I think it will make the task of getting back to CL much harder.

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  152. You have got it spot on. The American owners of the club are going to wake up to the reality of world football if Liverpool do not make a top 4 berth at the end of the next season. Giving the job to Rodgers was one hell of a gamble. I can see Jose Mourinho coming to Liverpool at some stage in the future. Liverpool will need a big name manager to start attracting the top talents in world football. We used to hold such a position when Rafa Benitez was in charge.

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