26 Dec 2014

Next Stop LFC? - BR fighting to sign £15m star hailed as a 'manager's dream' and a 'workaholic'

Liverpool are once again being linked with a move for Manchester City star James Milner, a player who seems to be very popular amongst ex-Reds.

Liverpool have been regularly linked with £15m-rated Milner this year, and according to The Mirror today, the Reds are still interesting in signing the 28-year old, and hope to get him on a free in the summer.

Reds legends Graeme Souness and Gary Gillespie will be happy if the Rodgers brings in Milner. Analysing the England team ahead of the recent victory over Scotland, Souness raved:

"I really like him [Milner]. He’d be one of the first on the team sheet for me — both at Man City and with England. He’s improved greatly in his time at City. Apart from being a workaholic, he’s now added quality to his game"

When asked in October about Liverpool's alleged interest in Milner, Gillespie enthused:

"He [Milner] is a manager's dream. He doesn't upset the apple cart, and you know what you're going to get. He doesn't really catch the eye, but he works his socks off, and doesn't get the rewards he deserves".

Milner's current contract expires next summer, which means that he's free in January to sign a pre-contract agreement with another club, and if Liverpool were interested once, it's conceivable that Brendan Rodgers may go back in for him during the January transfer window.

Would that be a good idea, though?

Milner is the archetypal British player: full of running; endless stamina; good at tackling, tracking back etc, but short on genuine guile and skill. He is a steady, reliable payer, but his pedestrian brand of huff-and-puff football is definitely not going to take Liverpool to the next level. Milner's creative stats over the last 4 years:

* 2014-15: 1 goals/7 assists in 25 apps (so far)
* 2013-14: 2 goals/15 assists in 44 apps.
* 2012-13: 4 goals/7 assists in 35 apps.
* 2011-12: 3 goals/5 assists in 37 apps.
* 2010-11: 3 goals/8 assists in 42 apps
* TOTALS: 12 goals/40 assists in 170 apps
* Goal every 13 apps | Assist every 4.5 apps.

Wit the greatest respect, the likes of Milner, Allen, and Lambert, will not win the league for Liverpool. Teams composed of 80%+ Brits in the starting line-up very rarely win the top trophies, and the Reds have more than enough British players in the squad.

The proof is in the pudding: Just look at the club's results this season - the team is stacked with Brits, but Liverpool bombed out of the Champions League, and are currently languishing in mid-table obscurity.

If Liverpool do sign Milner, though, Coutinho and Lallana will arguably be under most threat. The England midfielder can play left, right, or central, and he's no real threat to Sterling, Henderson, or Gerrard.

Thankfully, City boss Manuel Pellegrini confirmed this week that Milner is likely to sign a new contract. He told reporters:

"We are talking with James, and I hope he will sign his contract. I repeat, he wants to stay and the club wants to keep him.”

Sign that contract now!

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54 comments:

  1. We need a striker and a goalkeeper.
    Sterling,Coutinho,Lallana,Markovic , i cant remember the last time lfcs attacking mids/Wingers were this strong , even 08-09 Kuyt,,Riera ,Banayoun,Babel.
    Our midfield is pretty strong Lucas,Can can be a good partnership.


    But Jaimie we need strikers with mobility that excite and can go past people like Sanchez ,Augero,Suarez mold.

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  2. Midfield is very good but Rodgers is not using it right in my opinion , Gerrard and Allen are not good enough.


    .......Lallana/Markovic................Coutinho......................Sterling
    .................................Henderson/Can......Lucas


    with a top quality striker up front we will be fine.

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  3. Too many plain Janes in midfield, we need a spicy señorita to create some sparks or at least someone with a bit of sauciness :)

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  4. And a goalkeeper man. Good god what was Mignolet doing today?

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  5. They all love Milner because, yeah, he's a great archetypal British player.

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  6. Just when you think how bad is Jones Mignolet comes out and plays like that.

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  7. That would be great!

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  8. Lallanas preferred position is C.M maybe we could play him there and get a bit of creativity.

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  9. Why would milly sign up for mid table struggle and some Thursday night itv4 pub footy. Li'poo fans need a reality check. #usedtobeanattraction

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  10. That could work, might also explain why he hasn't lived up to expectations! One things for sure the balance isn't right! We don't have genuine pace in the wide areas or enough skill or drive from the middle.

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  11. If one penny is spent on anyone before we have bought a top keeper and a top striker he deserves the sack.

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  12. I think Milner is a good player to have but right now we have other priorities and I would like us to spend what is needed to add world class players in those positions. I've often used the argument about a team of Brits too but it's not really about British players. It's that no country has so many world class players that the top clubs in that country can have many of them. Granted, Barca and Real had their share of Spanish players but they were world Champions. And let's be realistic, the England national team isn't even close to that level.

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  13. Not signing Loic Remy was a huge mistake, as he is mobile and quick which is what we miss without Sturridge, why sign Balotelli and Lambert who are similar target men?, Balotelli is obviously more mobile but you get my point???.

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  14. ive started enjoying watching mingo its like car crash tv its addictive hes so bad hes good

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  15. there's a chance Rodgers could play him there ,but then again there's a chance Rodgers could play him at full back or in the nets ,i cant believe our performance isnt getting slated, i know we won but we where garbage in all departments i just couldnt workout the gameplan its like hes picking players at random drawing straw to where they play and just saying go out and have a kick about any decent team that plays us with just a bit of quality and form will thrash us

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  16. Well Rodgers has gained a reputation for using players the wrong way and abandoning them.

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  17. it sounds weird but we where so bad i enjoyed watching it, its like watching a pub team ,your just waiting for someone to do something crazy for a laugh and Liverpool don't disappoint whether is missing an open goal or passing it straight to an opposing player or hacking a player down for no reason we cater for all tastes mingo is worth the admission fee on his own

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  18. I actually fell asleep at half time and had to watch the recording but it was even more laughable with playback and still picture.

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  19. I would not give BR no more money, the man has had enough to build on from last season. He used an enormous amount of money to bring in his own players and has failed thus far. Why would you give him more money; to buy more players to replace the expensive players he bought in the first place? Don't get me wrong BR deserves till the end of the season to get it right but its the statistics that count. People say we played great football against Utd and arsenal however we let 5 goals in and got a single point. If we finish outside the top 4 the season will be hailed as a disaster!

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  20. Warnock sacked wonder is it contagious

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  21. I totally agree with you. It I were the owners, I'd tell BR that he could spend as much as he'd like, but from the sale of all the flops he's brought to the club. BR should not be given an additional penny.

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  22. hahaha checkmate !

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  23. I dont see any problem with british player ! Pls kindly explain what problem with british player in our squad ? 31, 15, 8 ,14 is british player that we depending rite now

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  24. Totally agree BR is fail to utilize most of his player in hand ! Many many times i mention tactical problem made us weak and not the player let us down

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  25. i wonder where all the fans that hail and thanks to god that we had mignolet hide????

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  26. He tracks I'll give him that but he moves stupid. He doesn't move off the ball enough when we have it and he doesn't press. Like I say that is something that can be learned as well as he wants to. This myth that he has been played in the wrong position annoys me. He has played alone up top many times. Also Rodgers has a history of playing players in different positions to help with coaching. Like Sterling and Downing at full back (both improved after these stints) but Balo whined about it instead. And Jealousy? Because the media are racist? Are you suggesting this of me too? My problem with Balo is he doesn't seem to be an intelligent player or a team player. He plays for himself too often. Like when he "believes" he has been fouled and lays on the floor for ages and leaves us a man down or when he shoots from ridiculous angles as he can';t or can;t be bothered working with the team to make a better shooting opportunity. At times his tracking back has made me sit up and wonder if he could be a success and other times it seems perfunctory or clueless.
    I find it hard to give Balo the benefit of the doubt because I have never rated him and didn't want him and the type of player at the club.

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  27. borini can cope that but what BR decide? Let him rotten at bench ! So REMY might end up same as other labeled flop !

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  28. Others have said it and I am inclined to agree. Lack of a defensive coach and poorness of the goalkeeping coach are problems that need solving whether Rodgers stays or not.

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  29. Jus read he's not considering selling Balo in Jan even though he doesn't suit us- if he's only gonna play him as last resort why bother keeping him or Borini or Lambert. Surely with money from their sale we could buy a 'suitable' striker. I don't trust him or believe what he says anymore

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  30. the media are obsessed with balo and make him out to be lot worse than he is both as a player and as a person several well respected pundits have all named him the worse signing in the prem.........are you kidding me, in the livrepool team alone lovren ,marko and lallana all cost more money and have had a similar impact

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  31. rodgers has just reduced there fees by publicly stating he isn't playing them ......the dummies guide to transfers by Brendan rodgers

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  32. I'd have him, but only if we got rid of Allen

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  33. Based on his good performance at CB, I'd play Can as the more defensive of a pair with Henderson.

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  34. Sounds a bit like when the Great cricketer Keith Miller was captain of the New South Wales cricket team. He was leading the team out and someone from behind said "Keith there are twelve of us on the pitch." To which Keith Miller turned around to the squad and said "One of you guys piss off, would you."

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  35. make stevie player manager an get rid of the Schmuk BR

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  36. I think one of the LFC sites should set up a poll. Rogers IN or OUT. See what percentage is what
    p.s. I'm OUT

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  37. What a poor performance that was. What really shocked me was the pass accuracy and players not willing to go for a lost ball. It seemed to me like they had all a big xmas party and all had a hangover and wanted the game to be over as soon as possible.

    Lambert did less than balo ever did. Did not run at all. I can't believe the interview BR gave. Balotelli does not fit in our system? Then please tell me why YOU bought him. I feel very sorry for Balotelli who get's bought by a manager who has no clue how to use him. How should he ever be a success if we have a manager who has lost the plot since summer.

    BR seems to spend all his time with his new girlfriend (like a little boy who's afraid to loose his toy). Otherwise I can't explain the diclaine in his desicion making.

    The only real possitive from the game (apart from the convertion ratio) was Sakho. He looked like our only real defender! One situation in which he looked unsecure but that is normal after a long time out.

    If we performe like that against Swansea we will get hammered!

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  38. All of Brendan Rodgers' comments at this point are designed to preserve his status as manager. Every sub, tactic and lucky break that comes off will be hailed a tactical masterstroke (by BR himself). He'll wax lyrical about processes, systems, formations and false nines as if disbelief goes against the very laws of nature.


    The results that don't are the failure of the pitch, refs, injuries, and "drop in intensity". The man's charlatan makeup is beginning to run in the cold rain.

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  39. So why do we look defensively better when Lucas is in the side?

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  40. I'm talking about the archetype- run and run, huff and puff...

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  41. Yeah bring on de Boer, so people like you can moan another good coach out of his job. Wasn't Martinez better than Rodgers, wasn't Laudrup was better than Rodgers, wasn't AVB was better than Rodgers, and on and on and on? What about Jurgen Klopp, now he's leading Dortmund to relegation? Is he still better than Rodgers?

    Opinion like this makes me sick, it's just childish, throwing your dolly out of the pram and demanding an expensive new one, so you can throw that one aside, too, when you get tired of it.

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  42. By any normal standards of measurement, Liverpool did well to come through a difficult fixture under pressure and escape with the three points, with several plus points in the continued form of Lallana and Coutinho, and the development of Sterling, Can, and Markovic in new positions.

    But the pond life apparently think that only three points with a cherry on top is good enough for them, and that the manager should resign immediately following an away win and with one defeat in the last nine games. Absolutely pathetic.

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  43. People are quite unwilling to accept Liverpool as a battling club. To have to fight and scrap for points is not good enough. I think it's been that way for a long time, regardless of how many years of mediocre form we go through. It surprises me in a way because many fans are young and have no palpable experience of Liverpool being any better than a competitive top 4 team. I'm willing to accept the current reality and be pleased enough with a hard away win against a team that, by their managers assessment, played very well.

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  44. When's the next comic-con? Your Darth Vader costume ready? Or are you a trekkie?

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  45. Dunno if you'll read this Ron, but Ojo is quick, strong, skilful, can score -- he's an epic player, very exciting prospect indeed. Not a winger for me, though, in the long run, but a commanding midfielder similar to Paul Pogba. He's way too good for the U18s already.

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  46. That's a good, calm analysis. Wish I could be so sanguine but I get really aggravated by it. I struggle to understand how people can fail to perceive the quality of the behind-the-scenes work that's going on at the club, or appreciate how narrow the margins are on the pitch and to adjust their expectations accordingly.

    Strange to say but I think we are a better team than last season. We make fewer mistakes, there's more maturity in the game management, and fewer obvious weaknesses in the side, even if there are now the two glaring weaknesses in goal and up front. Can, Moreno, Markovic and Lallana are terrific signings though and there have been marginal gains throughout the team. Lucas, Sakho, Sterling, Coutinho are all improved over last season. I had thought we'd be competing at the top of the league, and I believe that we would have been without Sturridge's injury. I still think we'll finish in the top 4 ahead of Arsenal.

    Football's been being played in England for 150 years, and still so many supporters seem to think that because a team loses the coach must be bad, or because they win the coach must be good. I find it totally exasperating but I'll try and learn from your tolerance.

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  47. Heh, sorry Eric, that was uncalled-for. I'll go back to polishing my light sabre.

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  48. No worries mate. I do understand when people stick up for Rodgers. I happen to think hes run his course but I happily accept that people disagree. And I agree that in general clubs get rif of their managers too easily. Look at WBA and Palace. They had two good managers in charge in Mell and Pulis but they let them go anyway. Only ending up sacking their replacements six months later. Clubs like that need a reality check and accept that being in the PL a decade or so is required to raise any expectations other than staying in there. Stability and consistency is more important than anything. They've just become relegation favourites for me

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  49. OK, I'm going to take my time and give you a full response. Hope you're sitting comfortably :)

    I think Rodgers will get better and better over time, if he gets it. I get that he rubs some people up the wrong way. Maybe he reminds people too much of their boss at work...

    I'm not saying any of this applies to you, but people often seem to like managers who remind them of themselves or their mates, who express themselves in a way that feels familiar, so they can feel that the manager represents them. Foreign managers can get away with it because they're, well, foreign, so they get a different kind of treatment.

    So maybe I see something of myself in Rodgers, maybe that's what it is. If I'm honest, I'll admit that he's the kind of man I aspire to be. And from my perspective, Rodgers has met every challenge with increasing accomplishment and intelligence. He's our best manager since Dalglish 1 in my opinion. He's been -- unlike Benitez -- calm and composed under pressure, and has reorganised the team after a difficult three months. The improvements in players throughout the club, from youth level up, reflect his priorities, his way of doing things, his way of football. Unlike Houllier, he's quickly and effectively infused the club with his doctrines and personality. And unlike Evans, he's a disiciplinarian who has demanded and received the respect and obedience of his players.

    All that *is* management, to me. It's rare and impressive in someone so relatively young. He's also -- unlike Dalglish 2 -- an extraordinary coach, whose teams play with understanding, togetherness, and imagination: you can see it in Sterling, who he's moulded from a typical sprinter into a junior version of the complete forward. This all speaks volumes about the class of the coach. We're lucky to have him at Liverpool, and I wish his work was more universally appreciated. The argument against him seems to be "He talks funny", "He signs bad players", "We lost last week". But none of that is enough, for me, to justify replacing him.

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  50. You know, I agree with all of that. My problem is that in order to improve your team and this results consistently you have to sign the right players. You cant finish second one year, seventh the next three and then maybe second again the year after. in this League its not realistic to expect to win it every year but in order to get up there with the best and at least be ahead of the likes of Everton, we'll have to make our transfers count. And in three years I've seen nothing from Rodgers to suggest he can do that

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  51. Thanks for replying mate, and I agree with that too. Clearly the scouting and acquiring arrangements at Liverpool aren't right. But according to people who know about these things, Rodgers isn't doing it. Dave Fallows is. Do you really think Brendan Rodgers would have signed Balotelli? Brendan Rodgers who talks about the importance of looking into a player's eyes and seeing the character and determination there, who values work-rate and responsibility above everything else.... I just don't see it.

    Obviously there have been some disappointments this year, more than there should have been. If the money that went on Enrique and Aspas had been spent on a class defender, if the money that went on Ilori had gone on an accomplished full-back, if we'd retained Reina whatever the cost, we might have won the league...

    But I also think Lallana, Moreno and Markovic, are a really nice trio of signings, who we will look back on as top class acquisitions in time. We mustn't forget to give the club credit where it does well. I see so much to be optimistic about. There are problems at the club, for sure, but for me Rodgers isn't one of them. It would be a serious case of throwing out the baby with the bath-water if the club got rid of him now.

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