27 Apr 2012

Reds Legend reveals (potentially) bad news about LFC's summer transfer strategy...

I think it's fair to say that Liverpool's 'buy British' transfer policy has spectacularly failed over the last eighteen months. No matter how Kenny Dalglish and his media cohorts try and spin things, over 80m has been wasted on substandard players, and if the club is going to improve next season, this surely needs to change. Will it change, though? Liverpool legend Gary Gillespie doesn't think so.

Discussing Liverpool's summer transfer strategy on the club's official TV Channel this week, Gillespie - who was an integral part of Dalglish's title-winning Liverpool team of the late-1980s - admitted:

"I think we still need to strengthen the squad. There is a remit from the Owners that we go out and buy the best British youngsters, so I think the players that come in [in the summer] will be British, and young".

Gillespie is a close friend of Dalglish and a real LFC insider who spends lots of time at Anfield, either commentating on games or being interviewed for the club's TV channel. He, more than most, will have the inside track when it comes to Liverpool's plans for the summer, and if Gillespie is right about continuing the buy-British policy, then it seems fans can look forward to another set of overpriced additions to the squad.

What do you think? Is it a good thing to continue the buy-British policy? Was last summer just a one-off mistake? There are good British players out there but the crucial question is this: Will Liverpool go for the *right* players this time?

With Dalglish at the helm, I don't think so, but you never know. Kenny bought superb players like John Barnes, John Aldridge, Peter Beardsley, Ray Houghton and Steve McMahon during his first stint as manager, so he's proved he can spot good British players.

If the club must buy Brits, here is a selection of players I believe Liverpool should target in the summer:

* Jordan Rhodes
* Nathan Dyer
* Scott Sinclair
* Wilfred Zaha
* Nathaniel Clyne

All five of these *attacking* players would probably cost less than 10m, and would (IMO) represent good value for money.





Jaimie Kanwar


72 comments:

  1. I think that's a nonsense from Gillespie.  I find lfctv a cheerleading community for dalglish. I avoid it at all costs.  How can anyone trust Dalglish's eye for talent especially when it comes to British signings after last summers debacle.   I really do fear for the club in the summer if he's not relieved of the managerial position.

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  2. The poll say's it all. But quality not ethnicity!

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  3. Even if Gillespe did know the transfer strategy (which I seriously doubt), he is not going to broadcast the truth. Unless Enlgand was flooded with the best players in world football, the owners would certainly not dictate such a limited restriction particularly when they are about to appoint a new Director of Football.

    Their only proviso is noted in the Financials, which is to play entertaining football.

    Kenny's idea was to buy British, which IMO is not a complete failure as we have various England captains in different age groups, Downing can do a job and Henderson has undoubted potential.    
     
    We nnow need add 2 or 3 players to make the ball land in the back of the net and there is no doubt in my mind that these players will be forgein and will possess superior techincal and finishing ability to any of the 1st team British signings that were brought in last summer.

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  4. If someone had told me two years ago we'd spend £70m odd on 3 players I would have been delirious. 'Wow, who are going for, Hazard, Aguerro, Sanchez?? Erm, no, actually it'll be Carroll, Downing and Henderson...I'll get me coat!'

    To sum up, no, I have no faith in LFC to buy the right players.

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  5. Red herring, they'll grab something elsewhere..

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  6. please fix the midfield like get Honda or lavezzi if not too expensive and if Gaston Ramirez!!! 

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  7. Turning into BNP(!) ;)

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  8. "How can anyone trust Dalglish's eye for talent" - To my knowledge the only player Dalglidh personally scouted was Suarez and he looks pretty good to me.
    I think people forget that KD handles the players, the media, the staff as well as many other things. Comolli dealt with transfers only and he's gone.
    Things will improve and when they do all of the fair weather fans who are slamming him because we didn't win the league and make CL in his first full season after rebuilding a squad will start to sing his praises just as they did when he first came in and improved things immediately.
    It would be refreshing to see more fans concerned about the future of the club and be looking 2-3 seasons ahead rather than just wanting an immediate quick fix so they can have bragging rights over their mates down the pub.

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  9. Hazard, Aguero and Sanchez are great players at the top of their game... do you seriously think that they would sign for a non CL club?

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  10. Dalglish stated quite clearly every player that came to the club had his stamp on it.  What you are expressing is total waffle with all due respect.  The manager is ultimately responsible. Comolli went because he negotiated the fees. Dalglish should follow suit for identifying the mediocrity. LFC are seeped in fan sentiment and emotion, FSG took the bait last summer. They were green to the sport.   

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  11. Strange how when reading comments from people like yourself on this very website before all the transfers were made people were heralding the likes of Adam and Downing as "great players" that "should be signed". It's very easy to criticise with the benefit of hein sight.

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  12. Not to sound big headed. I said it last summer on an liverpool fan forum, when all these British players were signed. Simply not good enough for the financial outlay.  They were all  mid tier recruits.   Appalling negligence and financial msmanagement

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  13. not me actually, my heart sank when I heard we were signing those two numpties at the time.
    At the same time I did question whet on earth KD was doing - he's et this club back at least 5 years ... taxi for dalglish please

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  14. He was saying 2 years ago if we were told that money was being spent, then you'd think of players like that. Not the ones we have ended up with

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  15. With all the money Benitez wasted on flops he could have had all of these players then... instead he chose to chase Barry and alienate Alonso... and so the exodus started.

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  16. I certainly wasn't.

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  17. Great! So we try to correct our mistakes with the exact ones in future, makes no sense!!

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  18. wow, seriously, is the idea of introducing some competition for the same spot so alien in modern football? Is having two players competing for the same position so bad for any club? 
    Let's not forget that Benitez was the one who brought him to Liverpool. I wonder if people like you even knew who alonso was before Benitez, who alienated him, made him a player he is now, so that people like you can now complain about alonso leaving.And also, Benitez was so good at alienating Alonso that for some miraculous reason, he happened to play for most games in his last season for liverpool.  
    And funny that you mention Barry. He would definitively be a better support to the squad than what Adam and Downing are currently playing. 

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  19. I think it was people like you who were over excited by those players, hence your constant over protection for KD. And I don't blame you. I mean who could have thought that Caroll and Henderson, so young and inexperienced, would fail that miserably. Or downing, who was never a headline stealer, would struggle to make any impact to our game. 

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  20. I think that people like you were the ones who were over excited, hence your overprotection of KD.

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  21. in 2007 when it was announced that Liverpool was interested in signing Barry, I don't remember many objections from supporters. A lot us thought that both of them were about same level. However, in 2008, Alonso improved his game considerably. And in 2009 when Liverpool were performing bad, people e.g. like you, were looking for any reasons to blame Benitez. Using your own words "
    It's very easy to criticise with the benefit of hein sight." Nobody expected Alonso to improve his game that much in 2008. 

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  22. Kenny needs to stop playing the team like we played in the 80s ,football has moved on since then.

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  23.  agree about lfc tv,shameless propaganda on that channel.
    leave your opinion at the door.

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  24. do you choose to not hear kenny whenever he says that commoli didn't sign the players.
    he was sacked for the over spending on players that kenny wanted.

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  25. This 'buy British' policy is definitely good enough if LFC is ready for another round of fight for position 8th in EPL plus Carling Cup win. We shall wait and see what's going to happen this summer. Personally not feeling right if KD is still the manager. Just afraid the 5 players mentioned in the article will cost 100 mil pounds upwards since clubs already know that LFC will break the bank for British players, even though Comolli is gone. Anyway, good luck to LFC and I really hope I can see them again in the Champions League, hopefully, soon.

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  26. Wake up will you, if Kenny was anyone else would you be still be saying that.
    The club has not moved forward after spending over 130 mill on players and there is no excuse for that.
    After we lose the FA Cup to Chelsea will you loyal Kenny fans still be kissing up to him.
    Kenny has not earned another season in charge,as a player and a manager in the past he will always be a legend but he has been shocking this season in every aspect,
    Us fans that want him gone only want what is best for the club and aren't blinded by Kenny's legend status.
    Its time to accept he is not the right man for the job, in two or three seasons more under Kenny we be stabilising as a mid table team.

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  27. Say what you want about Rafa's flops,Kenny spent more in 1 season on flops than Rafa did his whole tenure.Rafa wanted to sign Alves,Villa,Jovetic,Ronaldo and many more top players when they would only of cost around 10 mill but the owners wouldn't back him.
    He did make a huge mistake with Alonso though il give you that but he did find him in the first place and very cheap at that.

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  28. Jaime, you are too negative mate,
    i understand that you dont want to be a "yes-man" but its okay to leave your pessimistic stance every now and then.
     

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  29. davewestausregularguest5:16 pm, April 27, 2012

    You can speak for yourself! Ferguson conned Dalglish into signing Adam knowing full well he just average!
    Also ;Downing was a second choice who was signed in the hope that he would be worth it! 'A right load of bollocks' !

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  30. People say our style is old and outdated. Is barca's style new? Is madrids? No, it's just different and I personally like the style we play. We have created an absurd amount of chances, we have just been unlucky. If we fire Kenny we will just need to restart again. He should get another season, at the end of next season if we haven't improved, he should go. Remember, Fergie didn't win anything for the first few years, Kenny has won 1 cup and in the final of another, all in his first full year...that's something to be proud about.

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  31.  I agree with 95% of what you have said but 'after we lose the FA cup to chelsea' what are you on about if you are voting the team you support off just before the final then we are better off without you your just as plastic as chelsea anyway so join them

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  32. It's absurd to suggest to that a manager who has his team playing quality football and winning trophies has not earned another season. No manager in world football can build a successful squad with one eye on the future in one season. The idea that Kenny Dalglish will accept mid table as an ok place to be for Liverpool FC is the most ridiculous comment ever. Every manager needs time and money to build long term success.

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  33. Well, he certainly bought some brilliant players during his first period of managership. I think it's fair to say that. The less said about Adam and co the better.

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  34. Wilson Michaelpaul10:39 pm, April 27, 2012

    he's had almost 18 months and over £ 120 million  - and it wasnt as if he just walked into anfield for the first time in january last year ,

    we had a huge chance with our legend at the helm  - to rebuild this club up into its rightful place as one of the premier teams in world club football , but that ship has sailed at least for the next 2 to 3 years  - he blew the bulk of funds on mid table mediocrity and thats what we've become , do you seriously expect FSG to bank roll another rebuilding job  this summer ? because thats whats needed  - you  want them to hand over another 100 mill + and give him another transitional season to pray he gets it right this time ?

    Thats not how a business is ran  - its not sustainable.

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  35. Transfer strategy? We have a transfer strategy?

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  36. Let's call it 'hindsight'. We are Liverpool supporters but we need to get something right this season.

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  37. I only wish we were playing like we did in the eighties! The problem is that we're playing like we did in the early fifties, when we went down.

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  38. Unlucky? Come on! In virtually every match? From the 1 - 1 draw with Sunderland onwards? Our problem is we have nobody who can hit a barn door from five feet away. That's not really a question of luck, is it?

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  39. Get A.Johnson Kenny and a world class goal scorer

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  40. 30 shots at the cross bar isn't unlucky, it shows the poor quality and composure of our squad.

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  41. If LFC buy another British player in Aug I will flip!!!

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  42. The only person I had hope over was Downing. What kick to the groin that was.

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  43. Shows how much you know.

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  44. that list of players reminds me of the article this site had about downing some years ago ;) 

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  45. Daglish did not scout Suarez at all, Suarez was recommended by Rafa and the scouting dept, he came in at the same time just as Roy left. No cheerleading KD you know what he bought.

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  46. There you go again kissing up to KD, a man who call fans 'idiots' for questioning the team's perfomance, buy the 'first seo-of-flops', ludicrious position in PL and a no hoper..well if we play as we did against Everton, Cardiff you know we will lose the FA, then what..NO INDIVIDUAL IS GREATER THAN THE CLUB....SHANKLEY.....YNWA

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  47. Leave Rafa out of your useless argument he had no funds, worked using hand-to-mouth finances, bought cheap cos thats what he could afford, sold at profit, why moan about Alonso? KD has received and spent serious money that could have gotten us Mata, Silva, Aguero, so where is basis for protecting KD, he is only a man like you and me, I do not dispute him being a great player for us but lets stop this charade and accept that KD wasted money. ps I believe that any new targets will have been done by Comolli and the scouting dept. YNWA 

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  48. Transfer strategy....are you kidding....we are clueless and get fleeced..we will probably pay over the odds for a crap player whos position we already have secured..face facts cole and aquaman are coming back so the money just isn't there...i wouldnt trust kenny buying a pint of milk from a supermarket ..cluless.bias, favourtism, stubborn,clicky.all come to mind when i think of kenny look what he did to newcastle

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  49. I'd rather see we lose to Chelsea in the finals if that means we can get rid of Dalglish. Somehow LFC has been playing mediocre, pathetic football under Dalglish and I just don't know if I can put up with that any longer. There comes a time when hitting the post isn't hard luck anymore. We already lost to weaker, relegated clubs these days anyway so as much as I hate to say this, I guess it is more reputable to lose to Chelsea. Step down Dalglish. To those who treasure him dearly, a little reminder - "No One Is Bigger Than The Club!!"

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  50. he is on about  youth, we have our core of british players now. the next stage for senior team will be anyone who is good.

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  51. The only one on your list that I WOULD go for is Jordan Rhodes. He is an up-and-coming youngster with a talent that he is showing well in his play. To add some similar priced foreign youngsters would be more beneficial as we proceed to improve our stock.

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  52. Unbelievable!! Benitez has won us CLs and we were always if not leading, a few points behind MANUre in the table for most seasons. It's just hilarious that you're trying to compare him to KD. Eighth placed, the precious Carling Cup (that took us 120mins and penalty shootout to win against division team Cardiff - again all LUCK!!) and maybe an FA Cup. Wasted almost 120mil on the substandards CHAD, losing to relegated teams, lame excuses confronting media and absolutely don't belong in the modern football world. If Benitez had the financial support KD is getting now, things would have gone way differently. It's overwhelming that some fans are comfortably settled with the Carling/Fa Cup trophies, how they have lowered their expectations for LFC. I guess maybe because they are so used to settling down for a lower level, mediocre manager to begin with. 

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  53. There is no point looking at transfers in the short term. Especially at a club like Liverpool where bedding in players is part of the process, especially when a whole team came together in one year. Steven Gerard didn't automatically jump out and catch the attention when he first came on the scene, he gradually prospered playing with great players around him over a number of years. Lucas Lieva was rounded upon when he first came, after switching from Brazil...fair play to the guy he stuck it out, he's made of harder stuff than most english lads who wouldn't dream or have the bottle, or have the character of making such a journey for football reasons. In terms of talent, the author has castigated one such gem already in Luis Suarez, a player who is one of the best players in the world and which we got for a song. Still with all that talent, the journo wants to send him packing, not realising how lucky liverpool got in pulling off this transfer coup of the last 5 years. One things for certain, i wouldn't give you any credit for unearthing transfer potentials, they have one bad game and they're banjaxed as far as your concerned. 

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  54. Benitez bought over 70 players only about 10 worth a mention! Maybe the owners realised he was a waste of money. Lets not talk about luck here-that CL had it in plenty. Gerrard wanted to leave under Benitez to Mour's team. Benitez was no angel himself!

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  55. The only thing I blame K.D for is not motivating the players adquately. The players are not as bad as you suggest hence thats not a valid reason to fire him. Downing looked good in Villa! We are just underusing the players we have and that is why I blame KD. Look at United-Carrick, Evans, Fletcher, etc, none of them is world class, how come they do the job whenever needed?

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  56. Trust me! People like you will blast Johnson once he puts on the L'pool colours and once again it'll be back to K.D's British policy

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  57. I meant if we were to lose the final.

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  58.  First off with the money he spent, if spent correctly a fourth place finish would have been a stroll in the park.Secondly is an FA Cup and Carling Cup going to attract the best players in the world.
    This is Liverpool we should never settle for FA Cups and Carling Cups they should be for trying out youngsters and reserve players for the most part.
    It doesn’t matter if we played better football than Barca if its not effective its no use.

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  59. Couldn't agree with you more

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  60. I will rather keep Dalglish no matter what. I have seen the best of Dalglish in the 80s nad 90s and u probably werent even a fan then. So dunover react just becos of 1 poor season. Dalglish wasnt even half bas last season was he? Fergie took 6 seasons for Manu to win remember? How are u gg to acheive anything if we keep changing managers every 1 year? There are also very few managers who are better than Dalglish, if any. So dun over react!

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  61. Of course we adore KD. He was a very good manager before and still is. Even Fergie lost out to him in the 80s. If u talk abt signings track record, dun forget he signed top Brits like John Barnes, McMahon, Ray Houghton, Beardsley, David Burrows, Alan Shearer, Tim Flowers, Chris Sutton. He also nurtured or brought in several young players like Mcmanamam, Redknapp, Fowler etc. His track record is good and he is also slowly buidling up a strong youth base, which I am sure alot of u dun know. Trust KD. He knows what he is doing. In time to come, u will see several youth players coming through the ranks, all tks to KD.

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  62. I dispute that. Gerrard won us the CL, nothing to do with Benitez tactics which were all wrong for the 1st half, remember? And, if not for Rafa's poor tactics and player selection, we would have won the lge also. Rafa lost us the league!!! get it?

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  63. John Barnes, Aldridge, Beardsley, Mcmahon, Houghton, Staunton, Redknapp, Shearer, Flowers, Sutton. Good record ma. But not all the time u can get players u want.....  

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  64. BRIN BACK RAFA!!!!!!!!!!

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  65. "We'll just need to restart again"... Yeah, well if we're going backwards in the league surely starting again isn't  an issue.

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  66. We had to sell to buy under Hicks and Gillette towards the end. If you were running a business just after the GFC and a club offered you close to £30 million for one player (who you paid less than half of that for) surely you would take it to ease the financial burden. Benitez was probably forced to sell him if he wanted Barry, who btw, can't be that bad if he's playing for a side challenging for the league title. That doesn't explain why he wasted £19 million on Keane and sold him back 3 months later, however.

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  67. Right, but it was him who made the tactical switch in bringing on Hamaan, stopping Kaka's movement and allowing Gerrard to influence play further up the pitch. 

    He also guided one of the most average teams to win the CL in its history all the way to its final (his two signings Alonso and Garcia playing crucial roles), or do you think they just magically appeared there without playing any other games?

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  68. Probably about half of them were for the youth academy and cost less than £4 million so what's your point? I'd rather take a pot at a promising youngster than blow half the transfer kitty on a drunken Geordie. 

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