25 Aug 2013

Jan Molby: 'Unbelievable' €10m star Jan Vertonghen was a big loss for Liverpool

Last summer, Liverpool were heavily linked with a move for Belgian star Jan Vertonghen, but a new UK law introduced in 2012 decreed that Tottenham Hotspur have first refusal on all the Reds' transfer targets, so the versatile defender ended up at White Hart Lane instead. A year later, Liverpool legend Jan Molby is still sore about the issue, and believes the Reds made a huge mistake in not vigorously pursuing Vertonghen.

Discussing Liverpool's defensive options, Molby told the 5 Times Podcast:

"The one thing we missed, and I’ve said this before, is Jan Vertonghen last year. Why did we allow him to go to Spurs? That was a no-brainer".

At the time, Vertonghen admitted it would be a 'dream' to play in the Premier League, and when quizzed about Liverpool's interested, he said:

"I can’t say anything about whether there has been contact about a transfer but It’s flattering to be linked. The rumours give me confidence, but I just try to do my best every game".

Spurs ended up paying a reported €10m for Vertonghen, which is (comparatively) chicken-feed for a top class defender, and it's definitely within Liverpool's budget.

Why didn't Liverpool pursue Vertonghen more vigorously? As Molby says, it's a no-brainer - especially at that price - but the Reds didn't really push for the transfer.

In my view, it's a lack of effective forward planning. In February, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers admitted that, last summer, he had to persuade Jamie Carragher to play on for another year. This means that he knew that Carra would almost certainly retire this summer, leaving a huge hole in the squad. Rodgers told reporters:

"Jamie thought about this [retiring] last summer when I first came in. He and I had some good conversations, and I persuaded him to stay on."

That - plus the ongoing ineffectiveness of Sebastian Coates - should've been enough for Rodgers to prioritise he signing of a central defender. Alas, it didn't happen, and now the club faces an uphill struggle to find someone before the transfer window closes. If Liverpool had gone all out to sign Vertonghen, or some other top centre-half, the issue wouldn't exist.

Rodgers made a mistake in trusting the Agger-Skrtel partnership. Granted, Skrtel was Liverpool's player of the year the season before, but there were enough alarm bells in their performances to pose questions about the duo's future effectiveness.

Imagine if Liverpool had Vertonghen in the squad right now; the defensive side of things would look a whole lot better. Kolo Toure is a revelation at the moment, but both he and Agger can't play every game, and they'll need rest throughout the season to keep them in tip-top condition.

In May, the PFA included Vertonghen in its Premier League Team of the Year, and according to Spurs midfielder Scott Parker, the Belgian richly deserved the recognition. He told the club's official website:

"Jan's been nothing short of fantastic, an unbelievable player. Technically, he's a very gifted footballer. He's like a Rolls Royce, he glides around the pitch so effortlessly, he can step out with the ball and he's nicked a few goals as well. That's invaluable."

Yet another missed opportunity...?






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


124 comments:

  1. Hahahaha!!!! Like you 'allowed' him to join us! Did you just 'allow' Dempsey and Sigurdsson too?! Small little Liverpool can't play with the big boys anymore! FACT!

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  2. Spurs fans are welcome here, but if you can't debate/discuss in a civil manner, your comments will be deleted.

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  3. But Jan, you assume that Verti had any inclination to go and live in Scouseland......and why would he, cos Liverpool are nowhere near being an attractive club for top players any more.

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  4. I like the line about the new law in England LOL I must have left before it came in but I have certainly noticed it. Is Cameron behind it wouldnt surprise me ...

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  5. Another one bites the dust............We need to sign a defender badly, that said 2 clean sheets in 2 games isn't a bad start (IMO the opposition are not top 6 teams)....Sign Sakho!

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  6. I think Jan genuinely prefered Spurs in this case.

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  7. Fact is LFC is still a big club, people out there know us and spurs will never achieve as much as we did!
    Whatever at the moment spurs are the more attractive club, they have the london factor a more famous manager and are playing in europe,
    but that´s not the discussion point here, it´s about the player who is indeed a brilliant defender and a missed opportunity

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  8. Lol, Vertonghen wouldn't have considered joining Liverpool in the first place.

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  9. So delusion is not restricted to the fans but also the former players as well. Whether you would have aggressively pursued Jan or not is totally irrelevant. All that would have resulted is LFC fans embarrassing themselves with the cringeworthy moans about THFC getting their own scouts, when Jan, like so many others before him, would have chosen THFC anyway.

    Players these days are more attracted to play for THFC. That's proven now. Let it go. Just the same as they would rather play for CFC more than THFC. there's a pecking order and LFC are below spurs. Sooner your fans and staff accept that, you'll be a lot more healthier mentally.

    But you've unconvincingly beaten two of last season's bottom of the table side so you must have 'turned a corner'. Lol.

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  10. Spurs fan here. Vertonghen has been superb. But I feel the exact same way about Countinho and Siggurdsson. We snatched Siggurdsson from ye at the last second for 8m and he has been nothing short of disaster. It was no surprise to me, he's a very average player who scored a few long rangers at Swansea, there by increasing his value from 2m to 8m. Instead, for the exact same money, ye got Coutinho, who has been sensational and is probably worth 30m+ already (considering a similar player, Willian, is worth that). so these things even out, both clubs have made mistakes in the transfer market.

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  11. If we had final refusal on all of liverpools transfer targets im pretty sure we'd have bought sturridge and coutinho, besides reguardless of whats in the press it was liverpool who tried to hijack our Willian deal, we'd offered for him last season too, but he went to russia, get a bit more clued up please

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  12. Jaimie i appreciate the time you take to put these articles up, however they make us look amateurish to be honest. Writing about the talking points of yesterday's game and future possible transfer activity etc is fair enough but reminiscing on past players who we should or should not have signed is pointless if those players are not currently Liverpool players. I know you won't agree with me but, as you can see the first two people who commented made pointless arguments. You want people to adhere to your comment policy but you make yourself an easy target.

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  13. Clearly, you didn't get the joke. I wasn't being serious about a new law being passed...

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  14. Definately missed out there. Dont know whether we didnt try or he simply opted for spurs, but he's definately a class act that would improve any team.

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  15. To think there is an actual law that exists where a club can scour through all the signings of another club and have the first option to get any of those players is ludicrous. No club would put themselves in that kind of position. I think the person who wrote this article did not get his point across properly. That first paragraph does not make sense at all.

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  16. Wow how did he not get that was a joke or maybe he thinks it should be a law and is miffed that it isn't ?

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  17. Clubs miss out on players all the time, writing about it a year later.... Well i just don't see the point.

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  18. Is that you Ruddock ? you used to have a sense of humour when you played for the Reds

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  19. Well, he said no to Arsenal, So don't really think you lot would have had more to offer... Keep reaching for the stars kids #COYS

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  20. Does that mean Spurs scouts . Can come on and see which player we are linked too.?????????? Just asking

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  21. Sakho and Left mid or attacking mid

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  22. I don't care if we missed out on him an year back and yes that's a loss but we now have Alderweireld, Sakho and Papadopolous who are waiting for our call. It'd be a bigger loss if we don't sign any of the three this window because they're ready to come to us but only thing is Ayre that won't let it happen.

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  23. hopefully liverpool can capture sakho. i rate him, better than Papa imo. hardly ever injured also.

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  24. Spurs fan here, feeling sorry for Liverpool supporters after the Chelsea and Willian thing, we got a taste of our own medicine. What are the chances of Chelsea scouts scouting our scouts who were scouting Liverpool scouts who were scouting Willian? Think we should call a truce and stop scouting each others scouts before it gets to silly and the big guns like Real Madrid start scouting our scouts.

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  25. To be fair this is true, sour grapes on our behalf it seems from the author.

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  26. Come on Mr Ruddock.. You aren't so stupid that you don't realise it's a joke are you?

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  27. Easy to be critical in hindsight. BR had a lot to sort out when he first arrived inc getting to know his current squad. Plus he lacked support as he didn't get his scouting team in place until Nov. But the track record with transfers since gives me confidence for the future.

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  28. Jan Molby - "Why did we allow him?"



    Jan Vertonghen - "I know where I want to go and I think it is clear to everybody ... [reporter asks if it's Tottenham] Yes."


    You lot seriously need to get over yourselves.

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  29. Didn't realise Liverpool were in for him at all, but Spurs clearly tried harder to sign him.
    He was guest of honour at WHL on the last game of the season before he signed and given a tour of the new training facility before it opened.


    Personally the only player I feel we stole form Liverpool was Gylfi(more fool us) all the other overlap in our targets we've got the players because our board is capable of negotiating a deal. I'm amazed that Ian Ayre was able to keep his job after last summer and feel sorry for Rodgers at times not being able to get the people he wants

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  30. Spurs fan here, I think you are very naive about how this works. Everyone is free to buy anyone if the conditions are right for the targeted players. We had not stolen anyone's players, nor did our Chelsea stolen Willian from us. Willian had made a choice to join Chelsea and our offer could not sustain his interests.


    It's not "NICE" but it's not wrong from Chelsea.

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  31. It's painful for clubs that used to have dominant positions when they merge back into the pack. There are many Spurs fans dating back to the early 60's who've had to suffer the same way ever since. The perception at the moment (time will tell) is that Spurs are rising again while Arsenal & Liverpool have stagnated. Fact is, all three are chasing the same calibre of player so targets will invariably overlap. Indignation about targets being 'stolen' or the like is just part of the whole game we play. Talk about 'size' of clubs is always stupid - fortunes are cyclical for big city clubs. I follow Spurs but take a view that nothing is forever. Even the current supergiants: Man U/City/Chelsea have no guarantee of always being at the top.

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  32. Sure, you missed out on Vertonghen, who is quality, but you have just started the season with two clean sheets against decent sides! Probs just need some quality cover for injuries and cup games?

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  33. i agree clubs all pinch each others players...but its all about getting them to sign the dotted line...no use having good scouts if you cant close a deal

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  34. spurs fan in peace !
    great article it made me smile about the new law as it does seem that way just recently.
    The truth is it hurts when you do all the donkey work and then someone else nicks the player off you just when the fans are thinking that things are looking better, we have just found that out with the Chelsea chaos who nicked players such as William, Oscar, Cahill and hazard who were all on our lists and in advanced talks with the club.
    I guess this will continue until either of us breaks into the top 4 again as that is where the big players want to be !
    Good luck lads I wish you a good season and would be happy to see you 4th as long as we are just ahead of you, I love your wit, hospitality and your knowledge of football but if you could stop them little scallys nicking my aerial and hub caps that would be kind
    Norfolk Spurs

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  35. pointless cracking jokes Jamie they just go straight over people heads..

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  36. Is there really a uk law for spurs , or is it a joke?

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  37. he is left footed so wont be able o play with agger

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  38. no there really is a law its on the declaration of independence 3rd paragraph just under the magna carter

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  39. Why? Plenty of teams play with 2 right footed centre-backs.

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  40. Well I wish you the very worst season mate. And guess what mate, I hope you stay out of top 4 till you don't start playing Accrington Stanley on a regular basis and compete with them for top 4.

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  41. you must be mistaken i haven't seen much wit or knowledge of football on this site ......

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  42. i do the jellied eels and mash swung it

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  43. Oh well perhaps I mistook you for a real Liverpool fan when clearly you are not !
    I won't stoop any lower and let you get satisfaction from attempting to wind me up, real Liverpool fans will get what I mean.
    But so that I keep the standards up I wish you and yours well my friend

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  44. It was clearly a joke...

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  45. Lets see who KING BREN signs in the next week - then we decide

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  46. That spurs wage bill looks interesting

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  47. lets show interest in mickey mouse so AVB can outbid us

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  48. and then the fair play specialists CHELSKI can outbid the universe

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  49. Yet another case of 20/20 hindsight. I googled Jan Molby but could find no outright recommendations of who we should buy this year.... There are hundreds of excellent young footballers out there, including the next Henri, the next Ronaldo, the next Gerrard, the next Carragher, the next Pele even... you'd think that at least one of them would be a 'no brainer' beforehand, but apparently not.

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  50. maybe we should offer a contract extension to borini and allen...are you watching avb

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  51. Liverpool scouts are in Malta and Greenland looking at this amazing target man Don't tell anyone.

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  52. its only interesting if its you who is paying it..if its not who cares

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  53. spurs are actually my favorite southern team8...i have never liked Chelsea or arsenal...it goes back to be being a big fan of graham roberts

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  54. it is what it is....half of the time these players have no intention of signing they are just shaking the tree waiting for a pay day to drop

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  55. Anyone gonna be watching Tyrone v Mayo?
    I'd love to see Ronaldo take just one hit from a Mayo full back :)

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  56. he already did his name was clint dempsey

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  57. He was a great signing - reminds me a lot of Alan Hansen. Even when Spurs are defensively under the kosh, he never seems to have a hair our of place or be breathing hard. Very classy and in control. I'm still amazed he went for so little too.

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  58. is that tyrone off coronation street

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  59. Like to see him take a hit off him either... :)

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  60. or to keep playing teams who cant score for shit

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  61. Very true, and the Spuds look good for 4th this season, wish you all the best this year (apart from "us"). As long as the Goons don't finish 4th (again) i am happy for either "us" or the spuds to be there (preferably "us")

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  62. I hear Juan Mata is on the market, if only (big smiley face) we got him instead of downing (looks back through the history books for failed signings)

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  63. completely agree, Sakho is 1, more versatile (plays CD and LB) and 2, cheaper (FSG would like this). the only thing stopping this move is the fact he is left footed, we need a right footed defender, if we get Sakho it will never be Agga and Shako, if would be (if Agga injured) Sakho and Toure. It is the right side of defence we need to enhance, to that end i do not think LFC will sign him.

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  64. and why wont Ayre let it happen, your post isn't factual!

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  65. JK can i please ask a Q, if you delete this then so be it i accept it. a comment was made about 2hrs ago stating this "Jaimie i appreciate the time you take to put these articles up, however they make us look amateurish to be honest. Writing about the talking points of yesterday's game and future possible transfer activity etc is fair enough but reminiscing on past players who we should or should not have signed is pointless if those players are not currently Liverpool players. I know you won't agree with me but, as you can see the first two people who commented made pointless arguments. You want people to adhere to your comment policy but you make yourself an easy target"


    can i please ask why 1, this was deleted (it was a positive post) and 2, he had an extremely valid point to the fact "we" are talking about a player that went to the Spuds 1 year ago!

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  66. And now this season LFC is going to miss another talents from Ajax again. Christian Eriksen and Toby Alderweireld....LFC management is look like very slow to get sign this 2 players.It is big loss again if this season LFC cannot tight this 2 high calibre players.Last thing is get sign Mamadou sakho or Kryiakos Papadoulos.Both versatile players who can make many assist and score the goal.Very worth to get sign them........YNWA

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  67. Just exhaled a snout full of the finest beer in front of a pub full of strangers having read the new law is official!!!!
    That aside, we do seem to be linked with the same players but is this not because we both pay for the freelance advice of a certain D Commlli????

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  68. Well, I haven't seen him get us players that the coach wanted. A man with no charisma but just an accountant who's lucky enough to be MD of LFC.

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  69. Take it as you like. IDGAF and I support Arse much more than the Spuds.

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  70. Therefore with your last post i completely agree, Ian Ayre (IR) isn't up to the job! BR needs support and IR doesn't offer this.

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  71. Personally I have no issue if Spurs buy a player at the expense of LFC. I would much prefer Spurs do well over Arsenal and Man U any day of the week. It happens all the time so no point throwing your toys out the pram. What this does tell you is this, LFC still pussy foot around and can't compete, it's as simple as that.

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  72. Theycallmemrburt5:45 pm, August 25, 2013

    Screw em. They couldn't be asked to bid for Suarez. Add em all up. We're the winners (of sort) . :)

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  73. Theycallmemrburt5:49 pm, August 25, 2013

    Our best bit of transfer business was getting rid of Jonjo. He thinks he's far better than he is. In 5 years he'll be in the championship then he'll drift down the leagues. woeful attitude on the boy. When things go wrong his head goes down and he blames the world. 6m......... wow!

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  74. Theycallmemrburt5:50 pm, August 25, 2013

    I mean £5m he'll never trigger the clauses to take it to £6m

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  75. Why "we" are discussing a past transfer is beyond me and i feel this discussion is pointless.

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  76. I'm not interested in whether you think it's 'pointless'.I write about stuff that interests me, and if you or anyone else doesn't like it, then you're welcome to go somewhere else. Pointless comments like this will be deleted in future.

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  77. Sorry, but you're wrong. LFC is not just about what happened 5 minutes ago. Fans like to read about/discuss things that happened in the past; players LFC missed out etc. Jan Molby made these comments this week, so they're relevant; it doesn't matter if the transfer in question took place a year ago. You may have a narrow view of what should/should not be discussed within the confines of being an LFC fan, but don't try and impose that on others.

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  78. Consider me 'gone' @Jaimie K

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  79. YOU always state that LFC should "not" live in the past, and not you make a comment like "Sorry, but you're wrong. LFC is not just about what happened 5 minutes ago". JK you are wrong, completely. this discussion isn't relevant, it was 12 months ago and we have moved on to better things and better players (insert Sakho)

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  80. when you consider that time is infinite in the universe as we know it and we exist for a mere fraction everything is pointless

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  81. you may want to re phrase that

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  82. we play with a two footed cb his name is coates...well he has two left feet

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  83. Nice to see a rival fan can have a bit of banter yet remain respectful, fair play to you mate, each to their own, given a choice I'd pick your lot over arsenal any time :)

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  84. jonjo is still a kid and may well become a good player...id have sooner kept him and got rid of others...5m is chicken feed for an up and coming English midfielder....will hughes is being banded about at 15m and hasnt achieved half of what jonjo has

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  85. Well we've reached the stars a lot more than your lot & that's just since 2000 :)

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  86. If we,d have offered him more wonga than your lot he,d have soon jumped aboard, don't kid yourself

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  87. What are you on about?! I have *never* stated that LFC should 'not live in the past'. You've made that up. If I 'always' say that, then post a link to an example.

    I don't choose topics to please people; I write about what I find interesting. And as I said: if you don't like it, you don't have to visit this site. This is the end of this discussion. It is irrelevant, and has nothing to do with the issues raised in the article. Any further comments complaining about 'relevancy' will be deleted.

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  88. Lol Arsenal mate, I support Arsenal over Spurs.

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  89. LFC fans were hating on Spurs all this time because they were signing
    targets that we were supposed to and were fine with Arsenal, but, suddenly Arsenal try to get LS(fan favorite) they turn up against Arsenal and forget everything about Spurs gazumping us.

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  90. I retract this comment and was wrong to make it, YOU always state that LFC should "not" live in the past. apologies JK.

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  91. very philosophical... but true

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  92. That's fair enough.
    Would it also be fair enough if I pointed out that Spurs are just simply a more attractive club ATM?
    We have finished comfortably above Liverpool for the alst four seasons. We have an excellent and improving young squad. We have a highly touted youth set-up. We have the best youth personnel in the country (Liam Brady's words, not mine). The state-of-the-art training facilities in Europe (possibly the World). development underway on a 58,000 to 60,000 capacity stadium. Rude good financial health. And one of the most highly regarded young coaches in the business.
    What we get from a lot of Liverpool fans, is this churlish complaint that we've 'never won anything'. Well, we night not have won as much as Liverpool, but we have won a few trophies in our time, including three European trophies - makes Liverpool fans sound like churlish Chelsea fans, I'm afraid. Then we get all of this nonsense about not having any scouts - when most of the targets have been long term targets. AVB was after William at Cheslea, for goodness sake, and Spurs almost signed him in January. And, the simple truth is that there just aren't 'that many' genuine hidden gems that none of the top clubs have been following since they were, like, two and a hlaf, or something. And, ultimately, Spurs fans feel like Liverpool fans are directing all of their ire at a club who has built itself up responsibly by establishing financial health and managing within revenues, while not being too bothered about Chelsea and Citeh financially dopeing the sport to virtual meaninglessness. in many ways Spurs are the ultimate sleeping giant - and finally waking up. You will find it easier to get civil discussion and debate out of us when we don't feel a ridiculous amount of misdirected (IMHO) hyperbole direcged at us.
    Cheers.

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  93. Won't work, Liverpool FC have been fatally infiltrated by THFC scouting dodgy shenanigans brigade - we know when your scouts flush one ;-/

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  94. Some that get away are no loss :)

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  95. I will try to explain this for you:
    Spurs never, at any stage, colluded with one of the vilest, most cancerous agents blotting the face of football to manipulate a player away from Liverpool after he had completed his medical and the papers were all but signed, just o add a few zeros to his bank-balance. In fact, I am pretty certain that Spurs knew all about these targets and most of them were actually, and actively, pursued by Spurs before Liverpool even showed any actual serious interest.
    It would be nice for you if you could see the difference and what makes Spurs buying players that Liverpool would have liked to have signed as fair enoug, whereas Chelsea signing Willian (probably just becausse htey didn't want Spurs to have him) was a dodgy as hell peice of shenanigans.

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  96. Dear God man relax. Do you honestly believe Spurs are going after players based on who papers say WE are after? Why should they? They've finished higher than us the past two or three seasons! Sure they've signed a few players we were after but it's not like we have som God given right to sign the players we want! If anyone is to blame, it's our own board for not doing enough to get those players. Furthermore, AVB and BR had the same mentor and are looking to play the same type of football. It's not that odd that they end up idenitfying the same player quite often. We've had a great relationship with Dortmund fans since the UEFA cup final there. Do we now hate them too because they signed Mkitharyan? Grow up man. Really.

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  97. Oh and sorry, on topic - our defence conceded as many (or few) as the champions did so I would say no we didn't miss Vertonghen. At least not in defence. Maybe we missed some of the goals he would have/ could have scored because Man U outscored us by some 20 so I don't think Belgian Jan would have done much about that either. What we missed last season were Coutinho and Sturridge from day one. Not a defender.

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  98. Cheers
    Graham Roberts was a real legend a bit like a sourness without the skill
    Those were the days I can recall getting thumped seven nil and get bricked all the way back to Lime street !! happy days
    Like the look of your side this year and if you can keep Sturrige and the flesh eater fit you will push for 4th
    I look forward to my next trip to Anfield

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  99. Sakho...better player...eummm....no.

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  100. Because it's a crock o shizzle that's why

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  101. Now that is depressing reading! Good article.

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  102. we didn't get him, move on.

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  103. Two words 'Sturridge" & "Coutinho". We cant win them all. So far so good. Im dissapointed so far like everybody else but realise were not a massive club anymore and need to work within our Budget. We cant buy everyone and are no longer in the champions league. I love my club but am realistic that were not the draw we used to be. Players, top players are ambitious and have egos that match those dreams. To be honest ill eat humble pie and say our owners have made all the right moves in the last 10 months. I had reservations but so far so good.

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  104. Talking about Vertongin is just a waste of time. can't un-ring the bell. It does however point out an ongoing trend where we either lack focus or are too indecisive and players agents sniff that out......

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  105. I don't hate BVB or Arsenal but I do hate Spurs and for my own reasons, I will tell you one, my younger brother supports them. You see?

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  106. Im not too fussed about missing out on him tbh, We get linked with so many players its beyond a joke.
    So when we dont get one its just a case of wait 5 minute for the "Liverpool's plan B" or "Liverpool turn their attention to ...." articles to show up everywhere.
    Good player and we could have used him but i am not exactly losing sleep over it.

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  107. No I don't because that, as well as them signing certain players, could never be a reason for me. My brother supports Ajax but the club in the Netherlands I despise are PSV. Anyway, you made it seem like Spurs signing certain players we were, supposedly, also after was something to blame Spurs or its fans for. I don't agree with that. As said, I'm pretty sure they have some good scouts of their own and it is ridiculous to presume they are sitting around waiting to see who we want to sign.

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  108. No hidden gems? You must not have heard of Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto then. Haha, will make your Gareth Bale look like Phil Neville! But seriously, good post. Exactly what the situation is right now. I do believe however that one season of finishing in the top four could turn everything around again for Liverpool as we are as sleeping a giant as Spurs, possibly even bigger considering our larger global fanbase, but we would have to capitalise on it. Should we, by some miracle, finish inside the top four this season, our club must be willing to invest and let go of this ridiculous "we'll only pay what we want' policy. If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. It's good to see that you believe in AVB though because I don't. I don't see how he's an improvement on Redknapp but that's probably a discussion to be having on one of your forums :-)

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  109. Just goes to show what a useless bunch we are from owners to manager. Now they want Victor Moses! No foresight, no ambition, no money.

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  110. This being the case, I hope we get linked to Bendtner

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  111. Just to clarify, when I say Spurs are the ultimate sleeping giant, what I mean is that we were the glamour club, 1st team to win the double, 1st British team to win a European trophy, etc., and then spent a long time winning a few cups here and there, making us a drowsing giant, and then went into almost terminal decline from the start of the 90's (when Scholar virtually bankrupted the clb, resulting in, among other things, a hefty points deduction). In those terms, there is so much scope for resurrecting a massive brand (sorry, it's the modern terminology), which is what ENIC have set about doing.
    I would see Liverpool more, ATM, as a drowsy, and dropping off, Behemoth, because you were winning large numbers highly prestiguous honours right throught the 70's and 80's, and with some successes up tp your CL victory, and a bit after. United I would see as having been the ultimate sleeping giant of the 80's - and Beetroot Head, with the marketing men, capitalised on that potential.
    I would be wary of over reliance on the global fan-base, as it is very fickle. If Liverpool don't step up to the plate, eventually kids in Soweto and Singapore won't give a monkeys about who their Dad (or Mum) supported, they will go for the current 'players'. Just the way it is. As an aside, Daniel Levy is making a concerted effort to attract a greater global fan-base for Spurs, and has been doing so for some years - he's really savvy like that.
    AVB isn't an improvement if you enjoy MOTD - RatKnip's highlights were fantastic - but, there again, if you are pushed back and forced into desperate defender for a higher percentage of the time there is more scope for running the length of the pitch on a lighnening break and scoring a super-goal - great for the highlights ;-/ AVB is far more of a buff on winning psychology, and effective and setting out a team to dominate the midfield until the relentless pressure bludgeons the oppos into making errors. Not as attractive, but far more effective. In our two EPL games this season, we would probably have conceded a goal on the break because he didn't lock the midfield down in the same way.
    p.s. Don't think Liverpool will finish in the top 4 this season, sorry.

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  112. I'd agree with most of that.
    I strongly doubt that in the present circumstances any club will achieve the epoch making success of Liverpool and then United - but, as per my post above, the global fan-base is very fickle. Citeh, and to a lesser extent, Chelsea, have achieved a fraction of the success of Liverpool - but if the current state of play continues, kids will be choosing to support them more and more.

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  113. I wouldn't call Sigs a 'disaster' - he's certainly failed to set the place alight, but he is still a young player, being played largely out of position, without a regular starting place, and picked up in the second half of the season.

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  114. There is nothing to be sorry about, I would suppose most realistic LFC supporters feel the same. That's why I said, by some miracle. If you compare squads, the best Liverpool can hope for is fifth. Spurs, United, Chelsea and City are clear cut favorites for the top four and we need someone to really slip up for us to get in there. Liverpool this season are a team who live from week to week. If we manage to beat United next week, we might start to get into a position where after the first five matches, we have a gap on the likes of Arsenal and Everton. Then it's down to the next five matches and so on. Let's just say we need a lot of breaks and good fortune with injuries and suspensions to get fourth. Stranger things have happened though. As for our global fan base, we are still eight worldwide in shirt sales. For a club that hasn't done much in the last twenty years, that isn't too shabby. Anyway, we'll see what the season brings. I think the last couple and the way the club is currently run have made sure the expectations around Anfield aren't as high anymore. And AVB, well let's just agree that we're both happy with the Mourinho apprentice we got and the other way around :-)

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  115. Come on u Chelsea, we're gonna beat Man ure tonight. 3 - 1

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  116. Not 'that' sorry :)
    I think you are right, the best that you should expect, rather than hope for, is fifth.
    Nice that you think we are among the clear cut favourites for top 4 - a lot of Spurs fans seriously do believe that no matter who we buy Arse*al will finish above us (sad state of affairs in my book).
    Just to clarify, I know that your global fan-base is still pretty massive. Just looking into the future. I believe your new owners are going about setting things right in the proper manner. Much like we had to, that means cutting the wage bill as part of an exercise to make the club pay for itself properly again. Unfortunately, with the money at Chelsea and Citeh, the revenues of United and Arse*al thanks to their stadia, and the strides we continue to make, it is going to be hard for you to break back in for the foreseeable. With this in mind, what happens if 20 years becomes 30 - could easily happen, just look at the way we went form being considered one of the Big 5 to being totally in the wilderness for a good portion of two decades. You may find that then, global fandom are choosing the above five clubs over yourselves more and more - I'm sure you would still attract some fans, jsut not in the same numbers. That is why the most important steps for you, right now, are, as I said, the ones Spurs followed. get back on a proper footing, sort out the stadium, imrpove the youth set-up, etc.
    Don't get me wrong, I do actually rate Rodgers, and I am not knocking him by estimating AVB so highly.

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  117. I didn't think you were. I meant that I'm happy that out of the two we got Rodgers and you got AVB. I'm not a big admirer of AVB. Which is irrelevant because he doesn't manage my club. I think you're right about the current owners. It's frustrating to know that Moores should have sold the club ten years ealier and that when he did, he sold us with only his own best interest in mind. Honorary president me arsenal. Wasnt there a lot of resistance to ENIC at first too btw?

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  118. Oh, you're allowed to think not liking AVB is releveant - I don't support Newcastle, but still think Alan Pardew is a bit of a twat :)
    Ultimately, and, again, I am being genuine, Liverpool have engineered their current situation - you have needed a stadium cmpatative to OT since way back when. You have spent huge amounts of money over a very long period trying to engineer a team capable of challenging United, when you should have been taking the temporary hit of accepting that didn't have a team capable of competing them, in order to build the infrastructure to be able to properly compete with them. You should have been focusing more on what was going on with Chelsea and then Citeh, the Goons with their new stadium, and all of the innovations and strategic planning going on at WHL since at least 2005. But, better late than never, as they say - we had an almost complete wastage of the nineties and the first half of the twenties before we even started getting the basic groundwork right. If it makes you feel any better we had the ultimate marketing gurus at WHL and were outstripping everyone in that regard at the start of the 1990's, but Terry Spivables decided he wanted to give the hob to one of his (totally inept, as it turns out) Scribes West cronies = United grabbed him and he spear-headed their marketing revolution that was at the heart of their new financial muscle at that time :(
    Yeah, not only was there resistance to ENIC but, would you bluddy believe it, Spurs forums are still clogged up with fans whinging about ENIC and Levy (the most common being "FFS Levy, get your hand in your f*****g pocket" and "ENIC should have been spending this money *Insert date here*).

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  119. Where have you been since 2010? I forget

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