25 Aug 2012

The £2m Epic Fail: LFC's transfer incompetence strikes again...

Last season, despite having £80m+ worth of attacking 'talent' on the field in most games, Liverpool struggled to score goals regularly, and this had a catastrophic impact on the club's league season. Goalscoring ineptitude has been a major problem for over a year now, and during that time, Liverpool have missed out on several affordable, realistic targets, all of whom settled quickly, and immediately started scoring goals. Why does this keep happening?! It's incredibly frustrating, and the loss of Michu to Swansea is the latest example of the club failing to pursue a player who ended up scoring goals in Premier League.

Over the last year, Liverpool were repeatedly linked with a move for Michu (who grabbed 17 goals and 3 assists for Rayo Vallecano last season), and the Spaniard made it clear publicly that he was willing to move. Indeed, a few months before signing for Swansea, he told Reporters:

"If a good offer arrives for Rayo and me I will leave. Rayo are suffering from money problems and it is normal to analyse things in these circumstances, but personally I still do not have an offer on the table."

So...What happened? Predictably, Liverpool failed to act, and Michael Laudrup ghosted in and signed Michu for a ridiculously cheap £2m (!). To add insult to injury, the Spaniard has taken to the Premier League like a fish to water, scoring three goals and grabbing one assist in his first two games. As a depressing comparison:

* Andy Carroll - who cost £33m more than Michu - took 7 months to score three league goals for Liverpool.

* In his first two games, Michu already has more league goals/assists than Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing - combined cost £40m - managed for the Whole of last season.

Michu is not the only goalscorer Liverpool have missed out on recently:

* Nikica Jelavic: Linked with a move to Anfield. Dalglish failed to sign him (we had Andy Carroll, so who needs another striker!); Everton capitalised and snapped him up for 6m. Return? 12 goals/3 assists in 15 games.

* Papiss Cisse: Signed for Newcastle in an £8m deal. Probably never even scouted by LFC, which is a concern in and of itself. Return? 13 goals/1 assist in 16 games.

To label the situation 'transfer incompetence' may seem harsh, but considering the club's business over the last 18 months, and the abject failure to prioritise signing a proven goalscorer, I don't see any other way to characterise it.

The fact is, successive LFC managers have failed to solve the goalscoring problem and, unfortunately, it looks like Brendan Rodgers is also set to fall into the same trap. On Thursday, he said:

"It is no good having a goalscorer scoring 30 goals and no-one else scores. I've always been against that theory. You are going to need upwards of 70-odd goals to be up around the Champions League [places].

"For me it is a team ethic. Luis Suarez will score goals, Steven Gerrard can score goals, young Fabio Borini will score goals. It is a team responsibility, not just one player.

"You bring in one striker who can score you goals, which is great, but it's not good for the team if the rest don't score. For us it is trying to have players in different areas of the field who can cause a problem".


I've agreed with every decision Rodgers has made since arriving at Anfield but I totally disagree with his reasoning here. Having a prolific striker does not automatically mean that the rest of the team won't chip in with goals, but Rodgers immediately goes to the negative and floats that very suggestion.

Here's a idea: Just start with a 30-goal a season striker and take it from there!

If Liverpool had a team capable of scoring from every position it would be a different story, but that is not the case in any way, shape or form. Last season proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt, and the likes of Sahin, Allen, Assaidi and Borini are hardly prolific goalscorers. Indeed, over the last two years, those four:

* Averaged a mere 6 goals each per season.
* Never (individually) scored more than 10 goals in one season.

Combine that with the continued poor finishing of Luis Suarez, and the 5.2% conversion rate of Andy Carroll, and it's clear Liverpool still have a real problem in front of goal.

It's quite simple: if Rodgers wants to retain his job for longer than a year he better figure out a way for his team to regularly score goals because, at present, Liverpool are still experiencing the same problems as last year: poor finishing; poor final ball; poor crossing, and no persistent goal threat.

In my view, the club must sign a goalscorer before the end of the transfer window. If this doesn't happen, it will be Rodgers' first significant failure as the manager of LFC, and it could end up being a costly mistake, both for Liverpool and Rodgers himself.

Six days to go until the transfer window close. Time is running out...

NB. Before anyone twists my words, if this happens, it does not mean I will be against Rodgers. I'll still be 100% behind him.



Jaimie Kanwar


113 comments:

  1. LFC do not by players on your call 

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  2. Really?  Thanks for clearing that up.

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  3. Boring shite article

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  4. If Liverpool finish 8th again I won't b 100% behind him at all.

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  5. Totally agree. Rodgers appears to be a one trick pony from what I've seen so far. In the premier league to succeed you need to have more than one way of winning because you come up against very different teams eg Arsenal and Stoke. Is it a coincidence that Liverpools recent decline has coincided with our lack of a 25 goal per year striker? Where is our new Fowler, Owen, Torres?

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  6. Couldn't agree more JK.    

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  7. montenegro scousser8:37 pm, August 25, 2012

    is it possible that you dont believe in andy caroll? He had a bad season, but so did the rest of team. why should downing, henderson and the rest of the team get another chance and not him? and he is the only one that showed progress at the end of the season and euro cup. and at newcastle he was great, so we know he can do it again... we will be even more sorry if he goes to newcastle and scores 25... ramires, any news?

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  8. Totally agree with this.  Dempsey and a nice non-EPL prolific goalscorer please!  Jelavic was begging to come to Liverpool and never heard of this Michu kid but £2m is a steal.

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  9. I honestly can't see Roger's reasoning there.  Last season Arsenal were struggling throughout their team for goals, they were helped by Van Persie bagging a more than a third of all their goals (37 out of 94) so clearly a prolific striker will help get Champions League football.

    We need someone who can hit the target, because our current players aren't doing it.  Suarez had enough chances against West Brom last week that the game could have been pretty much over by half time if he could find the net on occasion.  If he's serious about signing Dempsey then Rogers need to get on with it because it will be a long hard road to the January transfer window (where we'll get scalped on transfer fees again) if the inability to score goals continues.

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  10. Our transfer negotiating skills are terrible. We always pay over the odds. The only time we should spend big money is for players we all know are quality like van persie, hazard, net at, Javi Martinez , cavani etc etc. Michigan was a no brainier. 17 goals for an average la liga team is incredible and available for £2m! It really frustrates me that we can not see the wood for the trees. Jelavic is the same. Dragged our feet with that deal. I mean, we won't take a £5m punt on jelavic, but we will take a huge gamble of £80m+ on Carroll , Henderson, downing. Fed up with whoever is in control of transfer negotiations.

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  11. Hi there.  Who said anything about Downing and Henderson getting another chance?  If it was down to me, both of them would be sold ASAP, along with Carroll. And no, I don't believe in Carroll; what has he done to inspire belief? Do the following stats inspire belief in you?

    * 57% passing accuracy in the opposition half* 5.2% conversion rate* 30% shooting accuracy* Only 6 league goals in 43 games* Scores a league goal every 516 minutes* Wins only 64% of aerial duels.

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  12. Jamie,if dempsey comes, do you think he will solve the problem?

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  13. Neymar and Michu . Sorry.

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  14. The new everton forward could also be added to the list.
    Apparently KD asked for jelavic but the board said no...which leads on to a separate but intertwined point-we need more cash to spend if we want to challenge for 4th. last seasons spend was balanced by sales, ie our net spend under FSG is not that great as of yet.

    adam, cole and spearing are all unwanted and would be sold were there any decent offers, jonjo looks like he needs a season on loan to find his range, or prove he's not going to make the grade. Throw the carroll situation into the mixer and we are really short on numbers and quality as far as the offensive positions go.

    its great we got someone like sahin, but its cost us the same as a decent player like jelavic PLUS a michu, just for a season's loan, and there are certainly no guarantee's he'll want to join us permanently when the loan ends.

    we need 2/3 more attack minded players before the window closes. i imagine/hope that clint will join, plus there may be another loan signing..but is that really enough for 4 competitions over a whole season?

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  15. suarez is a world beater as is gerrard.a win against city would have happened under daglish as it was getting stronger all the time. carroll needs to come in with suarez and borini either side

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  16. A goalscorer is the final missing piece from jig saw puzzle between top 4 and Liverpool. I am happy so far with the transfer business done so far but i agree goalscorer is something we desperately need and we saw last season how much difference a goalscorer can make, Arsenal wouldn't have finished 3rd without Van Persie and also Everton, they look a completely different team with a goalscorer like Jelavic.

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  17. I don't think he will solve the problem entirely. His past history suggests that he would provide much needed goals from midfield, but the club would still need a prolific goalscorer.

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  18. 19 other premier league teams didnt get him either, plus all teams in dutch french italian german spanish leagues awful lot of epic failure going round:))

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  19. The net spend last season was £35million, only City, Chelsea and United spent more.  How do you figure that the spend under FSG hasn't been that great?

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  20. Thank God your noy giving the pep talk!!

    Very negative mate?

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  21. Michu was also not picked up by any of the other teams in the premier league either. Laudrup with his intimate knowledge of La Liga knew about him but lets wait a few months shall we.

    Jelavic!!!! Seriously Jaimie? You said in one of your many rants last season that we SHOULDN'T buy him because he wasn't quick enough or good enough, now you use his non signing as a stick to beat the club with. You can't have it both ways it just shows that either you aren't a very good judge of a player either or it aint as simple as you think.

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  22. Superreds01 - Please do not deliberately lie about things I say or I will ban you.  I have NEVER stated that LFC should not sign Jelavic.  If I did, find a link to the proof and post it.  Don't make things up.  

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  23. we'll be lucky to get 8th with the team being messed up again to add some more below premier league level players, it's a total mess again the team needs time last season it was suarezs fault we finished so low how many chances did the team create for him his goal to shot ratios unbelievable in my opinion we should sell while we can get a decent price his a good thinker and a quality dribbler but his finishings tarrible and he's slow, their isnt a team in the league that could handle the amount of chances he wastes not even city or utd, theres not a single player we've bought since rafa whos been worth the money paid even though he made some bad signings but ever since, forgot to mention enrique is in my opinion the only strength brought to the team since rafas days.

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  24. montenegro scousser9:03 pm, August 25, 2012

    but they will get chance, unlike andy... of course not, but he came in the worst moment. two years out of cl, torres left, he was injured, he was too expensive, to many expectations, and the whole team played badly. and when they played well, had no luck. and again, biggest pressure on him. but he is getting better, and with midfield playing better under rodgers he would get more chances, and im sure he would become that prolific player we need...  newcastle plays, first game vs city, finish of last season and euro inspire belief. not that much, but still...

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  25. How do I search all last years Posts from you please? 

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  26. Use the search bar on the right of the page

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  27. Ah chillax the slacks.

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  28. A bit aggressive Jamie! Agree with your logic BUT there's plenty of examples out there of cheap foreign imports that have failed. Easy to say in hindsight we should have got these guys.

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  29. Guna have to rely on loans really rodgers said two plus loan signings sahin can only improve the squad a veteran prolific scorer or young high flyer would again onlu improve the squad someone like tello would have been ideal cant see it happening though still time left.

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  30. montenegro scousser9:22 pm, August 25, 2012

    and thanks for being polite...

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  31. Funny how we can't judge Rodgers after just one game in charge and you can judge Michu by 2 games. Very good.

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  32. You have to look at the goal scoring and assist record of the players we bought before we signed them to cast judgement. Andy Carroll scored 11 goals in 19 league appearences in the season we signed him, he scored 17 in 39 apps the season before at 20 yrs of age. Suarez scored 81, yes thats 81 gls in 110 apps for Ajax. The season before we signed Henderson, Downing and Adam they constituted three of the top five players in the prem to notch up the most goal scoring chances for their clubs. Sometimes it is not always best policy to go naming players who are scoring well for their clubs and go shouting "We should have bought them!"

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  33. Yes, you're right about the failures, but sometimes you have to take a chance, and 2m/6m on Michu and Jelavic respectively seems like manageable risk to me.

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  34. If your point made any kind of sense then I'd address it, but it doesn't, so I won't.

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  35. Torres must be thanking his lucky stars.....he saw the writing on the wall with dalglish and his bargain transfers..

    Now rodgers comes along and buys Allen for 15million...sahin on 120k per week of which we pay 90k of his wage every week....and a 5 million loan deal for 1 year...costing us 10million for a player for 1yr...

    We are gonna be a mid table.team this yr too....

    Look a Martinez at wigan with a smaller budget is out doing us and so is swansea with laudrup ...



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  36. andy would of dcored against west brom with those chances suarez had and thats a fact

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  37. by the way Kuyt has scored tonite again, thats 6 he has scored now since signing for Fenerbache, we could be doing with him back again!

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  38. That's not a fact. Plus. Carroll's 5.2 conversion rate would suggest that he wouldn't have scored from those chances.

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  39. Its a unforgivable crime that 3 managers in the last three yrs have spent so much and brought so many but still couldn't see how useless J Spearing is and couldn't get rid of him

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  40. jamie i would of scored at least one of them.

    technically gifted  or not .

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  41. montenegro scousser9:52 pm, August 25, 2012

    can't wait for andy to score tomorrow... just hope that BR isn't stuborn enough to make him sit on the bench all game... and with suarez waking up(we know it's gonna happen) we won't be talking about finding prolific goalscorer...

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  42. To finish top 4, we need 67 goals according to last 10 seasons median. Last season we scored 47 and thus short by 20 . We sold Kuyt , Maxi and Bellmay whom contributed 12 goals last year . Its a big problem.

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  43. I believe that you could've scored, but Carroll? No ;-)

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  44. If u actually care about our club, and not just to make money out of it, please ignore this joker... Yeah, we may not make the best decisions all the time, but we are passionate about being great for the right reasons... Jaimie just wants your hits to fund his bank balance so he can afford another wkd blue.

    Ynwa.

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  45. Only player on that list that I would say we missed out on was jelavic. Never showed real interest in any of the other players apart from him. We needed a striker last jan and he was one that was expected to arrive but he went to everton instead and look how that turnt out. Anyway we have officially signed sahin on loan which is huge but we need 1 more player in my opinion with several players shipped out. In: Dempsey or Walcott or Sturbridge. Out: Adam, spearing, Pacheco and possibly Carroll. That would end a great summer and our squad would be much stronger.

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  46. Well put...Rafa wasn't as bad as some suggested...just shows how good he really was....made us proud....

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  47. We really don't know how Luis will do this year and besides that I do not see where the goals will come from. If Luis does start putting them in it means nothing as we cannot rely on one player like we had done for many years in SG. Just an update though Kuyt has scored 6 in 6 games, never really understood why we let him go.

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  48. well suarez definately not....fact lol 

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  49. Pants on fire

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  50. javier hernandez......is who we need.right place,right time player.maybe at the scum...but champions league is where he'll get us!

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  51. Should we have signed Michu as well as - or instead - of all the other players you write about on here because someone else somewhere has linked us?!

    Burak Yilmaz, Juan Manuel Vargas, Luc Castiagnos, Gaston Ramirez, Matias Suarez, Victor Wanyama, Fernando Llorente, Klass-Jan Huntelaar, Eljero Elia, Stevan Jovetic, Dimitar Berbatov, Hatem Ben Arfa, Luuk de Jong, Victor Moses.

    Some transfer list you've compiled this summer alone!!

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  52. There are many clubs buying cheap players and some of them come good. What's the probability? 1 out 15 such transfers may come good....and such dealings are mostly done on small clubs level. You see Mancs, Chel, etc doing it? No. LFC do have a problem with transfers but they can't look out for bargains, we already have plenty of dead wood around. Assaidi is yet to debut and I dont think will see him until the match against Sunderland, why buy them when we dont need them? Similar to Michu...Adam wasn't too bad at Blackpool ...what happened? he is a waste too

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  53. pants on fire

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  54. What's the point of this website, pathetic!

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  55. Same argument you can have about Jelavić too, he is scoring for Everton but could he do it for Liverpool? 

    I know Moyes would make Carroll's value at least closer to what  LFC payed to get him but he didn't work out for the best with us.

    Over-paying is not a way to go but getting someone just because he is cheap or "free" isn't either. 

    You must go for what you need and I hope Rodgers knows what he needs. 
    Give him some time. 

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  56. Brendon can see he's useless, but moving him on is harder than it seems. You gotta have a buyer. Gotta wonder what Kenny saw in him to extend his contract.

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  57. For any Liverpool Supporter the Headline that accompanys this article is disgusting and sensationalist. All clubs and All Managers have the same fair share of transfer hits and misses. Liverpool are no worse (or better) than any other club. I have just watched Michu and he wont get many in the PL  I am pleased he didnt sign for us. I am pleased AC is still at the club because we will need him. Last season he didnt receive any midfield service and he struggled this season could be very different and he deserves a chance.
    I have watched all BR games in charge and would comment as follows

    1)We have played well in patches (as we did last season)
    2)We have passed the ball well (as we did last season)
    3)We lack penetration (as we did last season)
    4)We fail to score when is harder to miss (as we did last season)
    5)We do not know our best team (as we did last season)
    6)We play players in the wrong position (as we did last season) 

    There is nothing to suggest that BR system will change the results for the better. He definately needs another Quality Striker to compliment what we have.

    You and other contibutors have lambasted AC for the poor finish (8th) in the league, well I would lay the blame in other areas. Direct goals against caused by Reina errors caused us to drop 19 points last season (check them out you might think its more) The Midfield players signed in the Comoli era have been woeful (Adams, Henderson and Downing) the contributed nothing last season this affectedthe goal return if AC

    I support BR but there needs to be an improvement otherwise we should have kept Dalglishand Clarke at least until christmas

    Welcome Nuri Sahin 

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  58. You won't print this because you are deleting me, but. I know and you know you are a liar and a grade A bullshit merchant. You know very well there was a thread where you said we shouldn't sign Jelavic and you have deleted that as well because you were wrong. The fact you also posted stuff saying we should shows what a hypocrite you are. Have you actually ever been to Anfield?? 

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  59. I just spent 20mins typing a comment to this debate and its been held for some unknown reason whats the point of wasting time if you arent going to let contributors who disagree with you no tpost there comments

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  60. My friend all those people you talking about aren't they all one hit wonders???? Michu just started, let's see what happens this year and the next.

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  61. For god's sake, not this again. Your comment was held because it triggered the word filter, which is in place to stop spam/trolls.

    No one has their comment deleted because they disagree with me; the very idea is totally ridiculous. Look around! 98% of comments disagree with me - why are they still live?

    If the word filter was not in place there would be thousands of spam/troll comments clogging everything up.

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  62. Adam morgan. End of story. Give the lad a chance.

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  63. Jamie, agree 100% with you on a goal scorer, the rest of the squad is good enough I believe to challenge top 4, but we need goals. Maybe Suarez, Borini and Carroll can get to 50+ goals between them. I believe there exist a great opportunity this season (as for the past) to reach top 4. The top teams are considerably more average and all are vulnerable at some point (see European performances over the last 2 seasons). EPL has lost a slight edge from the late '00s where we consistenly had 2/3 teams contending. Boy, how those 2 cowboys screwed us over (last stab was to fire Rafa and replace him with Woy)!

    On the bargain deals, I seem to recall a recent 2 odd million pound signing we pulled out of nowhere, so let's reserve judgment until our bargain has had a go at some dodgy defenses. Great start by Swansea, but they hardly have our fixture list to kick off the season.

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  64. Comment deleted simply because I listed all the players you've written about this summer?!

    Wonder why!

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  65. Why does your website direct me to a video called 'YOU ARE A CUNT?'

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  66. Out of interest. Didn't he win an impressive 152 aerial duals and the highest percentage of aerial duels amongst strikers in the prem?

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  67. Yes, Carroll won 152 Aerial duels, but that only equates to a 64% success rate, and I seriously doubt that's the best of all the strikers in the Premier League. However, if you evidence to back up that contention, please feel free to post it.

    What difference does winning aerial duels make if Carroll's conversion rate is 5.2%? incidentally, the aerial duel figure includes defensive headers won in Liverpool's box.

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  68. Carol probably 'would have' scored from those chances. Here's the thing about Carol though...unlike Suarez, HE WOULDN'T HAVE EVEN GOT INTO THOSE POSITIONS TO MAKE THE CHANCES IN THE FIRST PLACE. And that's why Carol needs to go - Brilliant with the ball put on his foot or his head, but you need the footballing awareness and speed to get into the goal scoring chances. FAT CHANCE!

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  69. It makes no difference but you posted that stat up to make a negative point when it was the best in the top flight amongst forwards. Well that's according to sky sports anyway.

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  70. What's wrong with my reply?

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  71. Saying 'according to Sky Sports' is not proof. Do you have a link that proves Carroll's aerial duel win % is the best of all strikers in the PL?

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  72. neiljamiesonhall1:10 am, August 26, 2012

    http://www1.skysports.com/football/teams/liverpool/profileI assume that they would only print if it was fact. Can you contradict it?

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  73. neiljamiesonhall1:10 am, August 26, 2012

    I have tried to post a link.

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  74. For sure we do need a quality striker, Suarez has become increasingly frustrating to watch....Carroll never really got going and might never get going, and as we know the midfield area is sorted for now and we have plenty of competition for places BUT we do desperately NEED a decent striker to shake things up in the final third, someone who can be relied upon to put the ball in the back of the bloody net....

    I can't believe that we won't get someone in, in fact i've just about convinced myself that we will, surely BR won't be allowing the same old from last season (which looks set to continue this season...) to continue, just can't believe that we will risk falling any further down the prem table, FSG must have prioritised a new striker signing and i hope to God that Borini isn't going to be our only purchase.

    Really we should be confident of scoring many goals, we have lost of talent so i can see what Brendan is saying but FFS anyone looking at our form over the last 12 months has to say well im not going to let that shower rain on my parade.....

    JK is right, the stats speak for themselves, what they don't tell us though is why we have this ongoing problem....i have my own idea of whats been happening and it needs sorting.

    Someone like Huntelaar would definitely help, not just a bit but a lot....Suarez needs competition, so if he continues to spectacularly misfire....we can bench him and bring on someone else...otheriwse i think we could be fcuked this season.

    Sick of it tbh, but as i said earlier i don't think we will sit on our laurels and hope that things come good, when i look at the midfield signings etc it is clear that we are creating more competition for first team places, im expecting us to do the same up front....AND from what i heard FSG will not tolerate underperformers (if the Red Sox are anything to go by), and nor should they....

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  75. No, you're right. As I argued earlier though, what difference does it make? Does winning 64% of aerial duels justify a 35m outlay? Does that stat mean LFC should keep Carroll? I don't think so. When it comes to important stats that define Carroll's impact for LFC, the Aerial duel won is one of the least important.

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  76. Nice article Jamie love reading your articles you look at the argument from a non bias point of view I applaud you for that. However one thing I disagree with you is that whenever Liverpool FC are intrested in a football player the price is hiked up. Put this into perspective Henderson, Downing and fair few others players prices were bumped up due to the fact Liverpool were intrested. Now referring back to the players you mentioned Everton, Newcastle & Swansea bought do you honestly think Liverpool would have the opputunity to pay the same price? Most importantly we are seeing a change at Liverpool we are looking for impact players like those you mention relatively cheap that is postive e.g Enrique, Adam & Assaidi ( two of which were bought from respective premiership team.) Liverpool need to stay firm and only pay only pay the true value and nothing more only then will you evtually see a change.

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  77. neiljamiesonhall1:38 am, August 26, 2012

    I'm not saying it makes too much of a difference, I just don't think it should be used to make a negative point and illustrates how some stats can be spun a little. Don't forget many of our recent "flops" had decent stats the season prior to us purchasing them. Charlie Adam despite missing 11 games had the most assists for us and was quite high in the prem as a whole. I still wouldn't play him though.

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  78. we need more than a top striker,we need some winners in our side, I like Dempsey not just because he scores goals but because he is a winner, a battler, we need on more in defense as well, big strong center back, a winner, this team is too soft, oh, for a Souness or Tommy Smith!

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  79. Stupid article Kanwar.

    Dempsey and Sturridge or someone of his ilk will be in by the end of the window. Carroll, Spearing and Adam will be gone.

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  80. awesome article! just awesome. liverpool definitely need a real goal-scoring striker. we all know suarez is great at creating chances but doesnt finish. i suppose we should give borini more time...but from what ive seen i have not been impressed at all since we signed him. he gives the ball away, hes not creative, no chemistry with anyone (yet). but you know what else is a reason why we cant score goals? our super long build -ups! we need to be more counter-attacking. if we could get the ball up the field faster and catch everyone out of position our attacks would be much more successful. and im not talking about adams long balls either. someone should write an article about that as well! you should do it jaimie, i know you see it too! anyways, good read.

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  81. I don't understand the logic behind Rodgers statement. Every football team needs a prolific centre forward who scores goals. If the goals are coming from other players than it is a bonus.

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  82. I agree with Brendan that we need more than`1 players to score BUT we do need a prolific goal scorer. It puzzles me why other EPL clubs are able to buy goal scorers who can torment and get behind defenders at a reasonable price and at a bargain in some instances. And these are effective and prolific goal scorers.

    LFC do need such a player who can contribute the bulk of the goals. Once we start scoring, the confidence will rub off on the other players and the goals will flow from the rest of the team. Look at Lukaku and Papisse. Their mere presence puts defenders on guard. Unfortunately, Liverpool do not have such a player.

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  83. Rodgers has spoken positively about the Spain-no-striker-system, so this should come as no surprise.

    It might work for the best, and most settled, side in the world in tournament football, but a consistent scorer is a must for the league season.

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  84. Get real!  We have played one game so far!  May-be if you stopped moaning and actually got behind the new players; they may feel inspired to do better!  Call yourselves supporter?  I have been a supporter for 45 years and I can recall even the best players having problems scoring.  Fowler, Owen and Torres are actually rare!  The whole team has had a poor season; but we did better in the previous six months before that, scoring left right and center and there is no reason we cannot do better this season.  Shut up winging and start supporting!

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  85. BR complained about the above the market prices for strikers. If he goes and say he desperately needs one, then whoever LFC goes for will have high prices. I guess it's a way for him to imply that they don't really need one prolific but deep inside his mind, LFC does really and desperately need one.

    He did say that bring in one would be great but it's not good for the team if others don't chip in.

    So it doesn't mean that having one prolific striker will lead to the team not chipping in. What he meant is if LFC has one, then great, but others must chip in the goals ration (cannot rely on just one person). Which is why he is working on the overall threat. Also deflecting the fact that LFC does really need one, so sellers won't hedge the prices like Dempsey.

    BR knows what the club wants and I think most of the fans know that as well. We NEED a prolific striker and you can see what happened last season. No prolific strikers, midfield ain't chipping in, worst goal conversion/shot.

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  86. GET THE YOUNG LADS OUT WOULD YOU RODGERS?!?

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  87. we had been asset stripped and were starting from scratch almost. the big spend was needed just to get on a level footing with the 4/5/6th place sides..and still failed.
    all im saying is that we need more input before ffp kicks in.

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  88. I reckon that opinion will be expressed more and more in the coming years - the players he brought in and the set up he had was not at all appreciated - Ill say it again - how much has changed in just a short space of 4 years.

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  89. Other teams have the ability because they see a requirement being met at a good to reasonable price and then act. LFC does not act quickly enough and neither do they have , apparently , scouting assets that find suitable candidates.

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  90. So, you dissapear for a week Jamie and then come back with a negative article again. Liverpool are incompetent but did Wenger, Ferguson and others not also miss out on the same lad? (only two games in and he is a world beater??) I reserve my decision & my criticism a little longer!

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  91. You know something? Full stops take no more effort than any other letter but they are incredibly useful for making your rantings clear. You really should try some!

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  92. You are really so predictable Kanwar. You should really be running the club. I mean look at the great job you do writing your psuedo "news" stories. Pathetic!

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  93. suarez has missed a few chances, absolutely no doubt, but considering he missed 9 games last season and had all the controversy surrounding him, 24 goals in 51 games (practically 1 in 2) is good by anyone's standards. Especially new to a league and apparently not a natural finisher. Borini got ten goals last season as a bit part player at Roma. Andy carroll had a very good goal return for newcastle, especially as a young striker. Assaidi, 20 goals in 86 games as a winger. Those all point towards the potential for a good goal return. Throw gerrard into the attacking mix, and now sahin, we could be in for some very decent results. 

    No-one is debating that last season was poor from an attacking perspective but with the quality we do possess I think last season was the anomaly. Downing was not a no goal/no assist performer last year. He had some excellent games and put in some excellent crosses that weren't finished off; in fact jaimie it would be interesting to see how many of those ended up as the infamous woodwork hits or near misses?

    The season before they came to us, Adam, Downing and Henderson were three of the leagues most prolific midfielders in terms of chance creation, assist making and goals scored. Your love of statistics proved that but it hasn't worked out for us. Just because a player does well somewhere else does not mean they will perform here. Had we signed Papisse Cisse, who for most was unheard of despite his performances in Germany, and he had buckled under the pressure you would likely be on here slating the same scouting department and arguing we had wasted our money on some unknown player. Every transfer, every single transfer, carries a risk. There are no guarantees and sometimes teams will find a gem of a player, or take a gamble on a 'risk' and it pays off. We've done it in the past and so have most other teams. We've also had some spectacular fails, just like most others. What we have to do though, is give every player our support, give them every opportunity to succeed and come good. Instead of demanding they be sold or replaced because that only results in them becoming a worse player and worth even less. Had we sold Lucas a few years ago when you and so many others were shouting that he was a waste of 5 million pounds, you would now be chastising Benitez and our scouts/coaches/management for lacking any ability to spot talent. The same may well happen with henderson and carroll. Downing and adam can both change games and can be good impact players.

    Bring on the season, I for one am very optimistic despite a small glitch!

    YNWA

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  94. Your negativity is beyond words. You also post hundreds of articles suggesting we might sign X or Y like a kid in sweet shop. Out of the squad we have you suggested we sell the majority. Reina, agger, skrtel, Suarez, downing, adam, Henderson........
    IMO your comments the majority of the time are destructive not constructive.

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  95. If we were to bring in a prolific goalscorer I believe that once he started netting, other players would chip in with more goals too as the squads confidence would be up.

    At the moment its the same old story. The worrying thing is how few goals Swansea scored last season and this is the guy we're entrusting to bring goals to our club! He has my support, but if he doesn't sort this out and if he plays with the full-backs high up the pitch against City today, we get murdered and stay rock bottom of the league he could be skating on thin ice with no way of remedying the situation.

    3 of Kenny's biggest mistakes (bar his awful signings, squad selections, tactics, demeanour etc) were his failure to bring in a goalscorer, provide decent cover at left back and provide decent cover at holding midfield. Rodger's has barely touched on rectifying these problems and it may well come back to bite him in the ass, just like Kenny...

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  96. I don't think it's just a striker we need, although obviously it is a must. As it looks like we will only play BR's style of TT then we need our players to be slightly more compact in midfield with the ball and for the rest of the WHOLE team to advance with them. The Barca midfield practically hold hands when they play and consequently the passes they play are simpler and there are more players round the ball if they lose it. Losing the ball in midfield has looked like a bit of a problem in our last games against wba and hearts and the majority of our possession has looked and felt inaffective as we can't penetrate while p!ssing about with the ball in our defensive third.

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  97. Give Suarez Borini and Carroll one more season. If the end product is not right then it must be changed. Buy Nikita Jelavic, Papa Cese and Michu - Problem solved.

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  98. funny some of that shit then bet use are all made up were on sky this week so use dont have to watch it on your laptops

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  99. When exactly had Liverpool been asset stripped?  Where was the exodus of players?  Because looking at who left when the whole court case and ownership debacle was going on it was almost all fringe and reserve players who left, Mascherano and Benayoun being the only big names to leave then.

    How is it that Newcastle United, who were in the Championship two seasons before and finished 12th the season after promotion, were able to surpass Liverpool after spending a fraction of the money?I'm sorry but I just can't buy this insufficient investment argument people keep spouting.  Why should Liverpool have to spend so much more than other clubs just to keep on an even footing?  If we were real outside prospects then maybe I could understand but there's no way in hell Newcastle or Spurs, on name alone, have more power to attract players than we do.

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  100. yeah, like barcelona are a one trick pony, and the spanish national side are a one trick pony. brendan has been there for a few weeks, dalglish was there for a lifetime and couldn't unearth a goal scorer, the english national manager Hodgson was there and couldn't unearth a forward. Stevie Highway left because of Rafas Spanish revolution and with Rafa no longer there, their is obviously a gaping hole in the youth set up, now that Pep Segura has gone that hole will get wider. I don't doubt Brendan will give it his best shot, but if you analyse the squad he has, compared to Chelsea / Arsenal / Utd / or city, Liverpool are so so far off the pace. None of the above has had anything to do with Brendan Rodgers.. So to be calling him a one trick pony beggars belief.

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  101. you really are the most irritating person on the internet

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  102. I guess LFC don't have 'scouts' of the same quality as Geoff Twentyman anymore ??? However,you are quite correct that they don't act quick enough!,but!!! at the same time are not prepared to pay a reasonable price! Both 'sets' of Americans have appeared to want things for very little 'layout'. 

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  103. This answer was meant for Jaimie!

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  104. Guardiola and Wenger are one trick ponies too... Nough said.

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  105. why don't you just write about or support another team?
    probably didn't even scout him you say? you have no faith or love for the club. 

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  106. For decades, we've missed out on the best players to grace the game.

    Rick Parry, the buffoon, said that Ronaldo was not worth 16M; Enter United and they snap up one of the best players in the world. Later sold for 80M ?!?

    LFC have some of the worst scouts in football today. Who have they bought recently that have been of any calibre; after 100's of millions of pounds?

    Individual managers have bought players of their choice that have been to good effect, however nothing has come through the scouting network. It surely seems that the layman knows more than all LFC scouts put together!

    If management dont develop a scouting network; The club will wallow in the shallows of past glories.

    We neeeeeeed a Striker!!! End of!

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  107. The club doesn't need fans like you JK. All you do is complain and criticize. 

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  108. There are several factual inacurrancies in this article and many, many personal judgements.

    Using words like 'failed to sign' and citing players that LFC did not sign (where exactly do you draw the line) and arguing that they scored for other clubs against lesser clubs - it's a minefield of personal judgement and hindsight.  Also none of the players mentioned are prolific like say Fowler, Owen or Torres.

    People, look behind the lines and read up on the facts and make your own minds up. 
     

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  109. Aren't we so glad of that.  If the author had his way Roy Hodgson would still be in charge and everything would work smoothly and we'd never lose, buy all the right players that would work out 100% of the time and we would be in the top 4 every year.

    If only the author realised things he has the luxury of things like hindsight and a playstation and that real football doesn't really work the same as writing things down in the style of the daily mail newspaper.  In football there are so many uncontrolled variables and it's quite easy to sit and speculate and quote statistics.  So a player scored some goals against a lesser side - that makes him an immediate signing failure on the part of LFC?  No, it doesn't.

    Do i agree with the article.  100% no.  Players that work out well at other clubs would not automatically work out well at LFC.

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  110. Over the past recent seasons, Liverpool's managers have decided to go for "big names" instead of the old fashioned surprise talented bargain.

    I am very sure that Benitez could have found a much better player than Aquilani for the ridiculous fee he paid for him.We have missed out on so many good players because of this. Van der Vaart went to Hamburg from Ajax on a €5.5 million deal. This player had shown at Ajax how good of a player he was but we didn't even snoop around him.Another example is Wesley Sneijder who went to Inter for €15M from Real. He is a big name and for that fee I am not sure why we didn't even try to go for him. As regards the names above, Michu is one player that clearly has talent and experience. And for a €2M fee we could not go wrong.Another example is Scott Sinclair, for the reported £6.8M that City have offered and I think accepted I am very surprised BR has not made a bid. Although City will turn his head with crazy wages, I'm sure he won't fair any better than Milner and AJ.Liverpool would surely be a good destination for him IMO.Hopefully under Brendan we will start to uncover Gems and give the youth a chance, alas Sterling.

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  111. I 100% agree with this. Another player we missed out because oh Ahemm...Mr Parry was Sergio Aguero. Look at where he is now!

    And then when we do bid for a young talent player we end up going for the one dimensional Carroll. Although not his fault, he won't fit in the system.

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