16 Nov 2012

'Make us an offer...please!' - Is this the year's most exciting transfer news?

Liverpool flop Stewart Downing could be on his way out of Anfield in the January transfer window.

According to the Liverpool Echo, Brendan Rodgers will allow Downing to leave 'if a suitable offer is received:

"The Reds will listen to offers for the 28-year-old winger, who cost £20million from Aston Villa in the summer of 2011.

"Liverpool are resigned to suffering a sizeable loss on the former Middlesbrough man but will hope to get back around half of what they paid Villa for his services".


This is great news. Having said that, it's all well and good transfer listing Downing, but:

* Who will sign him?
* How much can the club realistically get in fees?
* Will Downing play ball and leave?

The club will almost certainly make a massive loss on Downing, one of Kenny Dalglish's most ill-advised signings, but I sincerely doubt the Reds wil make back 'around half' of the £20m transfer fee.

In my view, the club will be lucky to get £8-£9m for a player who has not scored or created a goal in the Premier League for 18 months now (!)

Getting rid of Downing will decrease Liverpool's wage bill a little, and if the club can also offload Joe Cole in January, there will be lots of cash available to pay new players.

Downing has been a major flop for Liverpool, and Reds legend Dietmar Hamann is still irritated by the amount of money wasted by Kenny Dalglish on the ex-Aston Villa player. He tweeted:

"I can't recall any club who paid nearly £90 million on 5 players and none of them had an impact for the team".

Maybe Sam Allardyce will come in for Downing, who can then join fellow flop Andy Carroll at West Ham.

Jaimie Kanwar


72 comments:

  1. get grid of him ! thank god to that news!
    2 years ago i was really happy to see him comming but this guy has absolutely no will to fight for a place , and absolutely no selfconfidence. You can see it just in looking in his face. He could be a very good footballer but it seems like he doesnt want to be one...

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  2. 8M sounds about right, Jaimie. Can't see any potential club hitting the 10M barrier. The recruitment policy of 2011 will go down as one if not the most negligent in our illustrious history. Get Carroll, Cole and Downing off the wage bill and back the manager substantially

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  3. And hopefully we can sort him out for at least 5m
    Joe Cole for free - 2m lets see. This should increase our transferwage because they both are high- owners

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  4. Just to think for £3m more we could have had Mata. Thanks KD! i'd be suprised if we got more than £5m for Downing. Maybe Villa would take him back given it would represent a great return and they could do with some senior players!

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  5. Hallelujah, Praise the lord...

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  6. as a villa fan i would not take him fore free useless and lazy

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  7. To be fair for the non scoring part this season he hasn't played since the opener vs Brom, and scored 4 so far in other competitions...
    Still think we can use him and I think we would get more money in summer if he plays well in el and fa cup(and a couple in epl), and we do need experienced players who are not unreplaceble- like Sterling and Suso which should be rested as much as possible. For example let's play Downing, Assaidi and Yesil vs Young boys to see can we count on those and with couple of first team players- we can't lose...
    At the moment he is bad, and we are desperate to offload him- don't think anyone will come with more than 5 mill, if that much...

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  8. Ohh QPR (please, please, please) - They are a perfect bunch to throw a load of money at an over the hill player... Everyone cross your fingers that Sparky is still managing come christmas!!

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  9. Sad thing is Jaime, no hindsight was needed to tell that this guy was going to flop! Whilst I hate denigrating another human being but this guy has zero skill, zero pace, zero confidence in all the the time he has been a prem player yet we pay way 20million? I remember some so called fans comparing him to Ashley Young like they were on the same level. Not saying Young i a world beater but to me that is naivety of the highest order!!!

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  10. Best news so far this season , can we not make it a Jan sale offer buy one get one free and throw Cole in the deal as well !

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  11. We should just pay the potential club to take him off us. Pointless use of our wage budget. Just wash our hands clean from that disastrous transfer spending by KK.

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  12. Kenny is probably still telling people they will come good.
    That man set us back years. Imagine if 90m had gone on quality young players who were just starting to settle in. its going to take me years to get over that waste.

    Yeah , exactly who is going to pay for downing. Only perhaps sunderland. just cant see him budging, just like cole, he'll sit around and try to milk the contract.

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  13. I couldn't give a toss if we get ANY money for him. I just couldn't handle another f**king loan deal.

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  14. Just a word for the pro KD clan, you cannot blame FSG for wanting to be more conserative in the transfer market. It will take atleast anther season or two before KD/Comoli effect is gone! Hence why I understand BR's sober assessment of our club!

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  15. Realistically - 5M for Downing, 0 for Joe Cole. The transfer money should all go into the team and the owners still benefit from a reduction in the wage bill (I doubt they'll sign any new players to the reputed 90k/wk that Cole was earning) - I think that's fair.

    Best transfer news since .... jeez, I can't remember the last time we had good transfer news. January 2011 when Suarez was signed, I guess.

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  16. Why get rid of Downing? He has got the best ratio for landing footballs in dustbins in the Premier League!

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  17. Same as ever lfc buying over rated players with ridiculous fees and then selling them for a joke one, i bet the highest offer for downing will come around 5m. (if someone wants him) for me we should sell shelvey as well, henderson and the spectacular joe cole

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  18. TBH, most of the LFC fanbase at the time was drinking the King Kenny cola. First big window for the new owners who promised more money and KK preaching about taking the reds back to our roots which was buying british talent and winning with a 4-4-2 formation that had a big/small striker combination. Liverpool fans are smart, we knew that hendo and downing were not up to our standards, but the King said they were and we ignored that feeling in our guts and followed our messiah to the poor mess of an ensamble we have warming the benches.

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  19. How about throwing Henderson into the fire-sale as well ? He's been no better than Downing !

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  20. We should at least keep Downing till the end of the season,yes Stirling,Suso,Assaidi are our future and they are fatastic at the moment,but what about the end of the season say we are still in the Europa League,FA Cup and we are up to near a champions League place,and they are tired out because of the long season.
    Downing would be that squad player that could make the difference.
    Our squad is like BR stated stretched,why would BR want to make that squad even smaller and more stretched,Cmon all you reds fans out there,you are some of the most intelligent fans out there,give Downing a chance,

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  21. its only good news if we receive a decent fee that contributes to a quality signing! Our squad is too thin as it is and the January market is not exactly full of potential quality signings is it!

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  22. Here is the voice of reason again, regarding no top strikers wanting to come here - what top striker in their right mind would not want to play alongside Luis Suarez ?.

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  23. We have trimmed the wage bill plenty already, If Downing and Cole go surely we can push the boat out for a top striker????. We saved £23m in the summer alone so we must be able to use the cash on a striker, maybe Luis can convince Cavani to join him????.....................wishful thinking???

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  24. "I can't recall any club who paid nearly £90 million on 5 players and none of them had an impact for the team".

    Perfectly summed up!

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  25. it wasnt all bad - suarez, coates, *enrique*

    sometimes i see life in downing, but i wouldnt be sad to see him go.
    cole is a loss. time to cut and run. but who would take him?

    hendo and caroll could still be okay. here's to hoping

    and then there was adam...

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  26. surely chelsea must have done this once or twice since the roman era was in gear

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  27. Fair point... we cannot offer mata champions league football though! And any team not in the champions league, but has aspirations to do be, is likely to pay inflated prices/wages for certain players! Not a fan of this dalglish bashing though people.. one or two of br's signings have hardly been ripping up trees :-)

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  28. I read somewhere that Comolli was very interested in bringing Juan Mata to the club last summer. KD, however, was not keen and preferred to sign Downing. Last season could have been so different if KD had spent FSG's money abroad. He'd probably still have his job too.

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  29. As a Villa fan I think you're being a bit harsh on Downing. He needs the right players around him to make an impact. So if you buy Hutton, Warnock, Dunne and Given off us for say 20million that should do the trick. Have a word with Rodgers.

    Bad jokes aside he was actually, genuinely, good for us (but not 20m good) in the last season before he left. Strange how quickly things can change.

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  30. Since 10m still owed to Villa for Stuart, maybe he should be given back as balance not paid.

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  31. i thought pool owed villa still for downing?

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  32. Not over-rated just English, thats how it is with English players, and i agree i would get rid of Henderson, Cole and Shelvey i cant see what everyone see's in Shelvey he is another average at best englishman he has been extremely lucky that Liverpool are in the position they are now with the quality of players available as he wouldnt have had a look in otherwise, i have seen him play on several occasions and he is awful.

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  33. good news, but hardly riveting stuff.

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  34. Possibly but not all at once..

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  35. The only manager i can think of stupid enough to buy Downing is Hughes but he probably wont be in a job come january

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  36. Just wish other fans could see this. Shelvey Out!

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  37. xenophobia was the final straw that killed the club after a decade or more of poor boardroom decisions. Its so sad to see. KD wanted British but was oblivious to the fact that the most talented players (and probably managers too) are foreign...but others are also culprits...purslow, gerrard and carragher, fans that were manipulated by the national media, influential ex LFC players in the media.

    I never understood why John henry when he purchased the club placed so much importance, making statements ... that the club was going to buy British...at the time i was thinking WHY? there isn't much talent out there.

    anyhow we would have met our obligation of home grown players without wasting so much money over three/four transfer windows, by using the young players (english and foreign born) that we currently see gracing our first team the rule doesn't state that these players ahave to be in the first team ...just the squad

    I also think that this xenophobia prevailing at the club was a backlash to rafa's tenure stirred up by the press and ex brit players and managers. Their was massive resentment towards him . (many have opioned including SAF that rafa destroyed LFC which is laughable and yet had nothing but good stuff to say about RH) As the years go by and the frustration grows as other teams pass us by we will all realise including the author of this excellent website that benitiz punched well above his weight


    on a side note I don't think that suarez, the only successful transfer to the club during KD and RH time, was a dalglish pick probably more a comoli suggestion

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  38. Jobshy : i reckon you & i are the only
    two people who have seen thro` this
    lazy git , there are still idjits that would
    prefer to see him in the team before
    Stevie what an insult to Stevie. For me Shelvey
    would be in the reserves until Borrell
    sees thro` him then he is a goner .
    Ffs use him in a swap deal in Jan.

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  39. I reckon Dalglish is just 2 steps back from
    being the worst thing that has happened
    to LFC . The leader being David Moores .
    How good KD was as a player to how bad
    he was as a manager defies belief .

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  40. Let's not forget, Rafa also wanted to sign Downing so all of you having a dig at Kenny need to remember that not all transfers will be successful.

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  41. Also, Comolli negotiated the price for Downing, not Kenny. If anything, Comolli should be blamed for us paying inflated prices and that is the reason why FSG sacked him. If we would have got Carroll, Downing and Henderson at half their prices then I doubt such a big fuss would have been made as we would be able to recoup most of the money back when we eventually move them on.

    Kenny went to Comolli, gave him a list of players that he wanted to sign and Comolli too care of the rest.

    I guess if Rafa had signed Downing and turned out to be a flop too then all Rafa's avid supporters would be defending Rafa for making yet another dud signing?

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  42. Kenny 1st spell as manager has still not been surpassed by any other manager after him.

    Maybe you forgot that Kenny managed LFC from 1985 to 1990 the first time round and won 6 major trophies: 3 League titles, 2 fa cups and one league cup. In total he was won the club 7 trophies as manager in 7 and a half years as our manager. Not to shabby eh?

    We were also banned from Europe after Heysel in Kenny's first spell as manager so I am sure we would have wrapped up many more European titles back then too...

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  43. Sorry but after Carroll surely Kenny would have been clever enough to put a price range on his players if not he is just as much to blame there too.

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  44. So Joseph, instead of saying Kenny is the worst thing to ever happen to LFC, maybe you should go do your homework as there have been no players or managers after Kenny who have managed to win more trophies than Kenny...

    7 Major trophies as our manager of LFC
    and
    15 Major Trophies as a player of LFC.

    Now go do your maths Joseph, who after Kenny has come in as our manager and surpassed his record and then also tally up the figures of which players after Kenny have won more trophies.

    Think before you write Joseph...

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  45. Jump, tackle, run, shoot. With passion. He is great.

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  46. You guys are crazy to hate on Shelvey

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  47. This is not a quote from Brendan Rodgers, but in fact a direct quote from another website http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2012/11/16/100252-32245677/? Nowhere in this linked article does it state that these are direct quotes from Rodgers. Poor journalism on your part Jaimie.

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  48. When Souness was in charge is without a doubt our worst, at least in living memory.

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  49. But who won the Villa player of the season? Was it Young? Nope, it was Downing. In his second and final season at Villa, he was their best player of the season and one of the best left wingers around, he was consistently excellent. We also went for him when Rafa was in charge and had to settle for Riera instead.

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  50. Unfortunately, it was down to Kenny's man management as opposed to their talent. Charlie Adam, Man Utd were also after him, Andy Carroll set the Premier League on fire, Kenny buys him and refuses to give him a run of games, Henderson had just won the young player of the year at Sunderland as a central midfielder and what does Kenny do? Play him at right midfield, Downing had just won the player of the year at Villa. It's not the fact that Kenny bought these players that was a travesty, it was their price tag, which has seemed to weigh down on them, if we had paid 10m for Henderson, 10m for Downing, 15-20m for Carroll, I doubt the same debates would be going ahead.

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  51. I think 'spot on' is the right phrase.

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  52. Yep, you're right, they did that with Torres, Xabi, Mascherano, Riise, among others. As for selling Shelvey, you have got to be kidding me, he is the obvious long term replacement for Gerrard, his game is almost identical to Gerrard's when Gerrard was the same age. The kid plays with passion, has an eye for goal, can pass, can tackle, even if some of his tackles are a bit rash, makes clever off the ball runs and has leadership skills, he is quality.

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  53. The so-called quote isn't actually a quote of Brendan Rodgers, but the quote of a fellow journalist, and being that there is no acknowledgement of the article this has been pinched off, that is plagiarism, pure and simple, if I did that at uni, I would be expelled.

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  54. People have surprisingly short memories, Downing won the player of the season for Villa, ahead of Young. Downing would have been a good signing for 10m, not 20.

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  55. Kenny's first spell, he inherited a world class squad from Joe Fagan, the often forgotten man at Liverpool.

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  56. Joseph is talking about Dalglish the manager, not the player. His first spell was a good one, although like I mentioned, he inherited a world class squad from Joe Fagan, his second spell however was disastrous. No denying that.

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  57. You tapped up a player who was happy being the best player at his club and paid silly money for him. This player had said 1 week before that he was loving life at the club and intended to sign a new contract. Then once he joined, you played him mainly left wing and left back, when he had been incredibly effective playing right wing and cutting in. Not to mention taking him in and out of the team, not allowing him time to get any rhythm or confidence.

    Quite frankly, you have got what you deserved and so has he. I think it's hilarious.

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  58. You are banned for a week. Why? You're clearly just another in a long line of snipers, constantly trying to find a way to denigrate the site. And like the others, such is your zeal to find flaws that you end up twisting the truth.

    Take this comment, for example: in the article, it quite clearly states "according to the Liverpool Echo", and the name of the source is also a link back to the original article. Despite this, you lie and state there is 'no acknowledgment of the article' and accuse me of plagiarism?! Ridiculous. Perhaps you should look up the word in the dictionary as you clearly have no idea what it means.

    I think you'd be happy on another site; there are plenty of LFC sites out there that woukd be happy to indulge your sniping against me/the site.

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  59. Lets have a look at that last comment. BR's signings this summer:
    Allen - looks great in midfield for such a youngster. Plays the patterns well and good in possession. Well worth the £15mil
    Assiaidi - Youngster who needs to bed in, looks a very exciting prospect with plenty of pace and skill. Youngster though. Good buy for £3mil
    Borini - Youngster, being played out of position at the start of the season. Looked a willing runner and showed good skills and positional play. Injury means we can not really assess performance. Not justifying the £10m price tag yet
    Sahin - This fella looks good! Coming back from injury and had no pre-season, so fitness has been an issue. Comfortable on the ball and has scored some cracking goals. Great loan signing.
    Yesil - Youngster, has shown some bright spots, but is one for the future. Is being played only because the squad is so thin, but for £1mil looks like a real prospect.

    So based on that summer of purchases I think its a little unfair to suggest that any of these signings have been as pants as the KD ones. What the KD era has shown us is that he was very wasteful in the transfer market, and it is this which got him the sack. After the performance of his very expensive (less than average) player, the owners were not able to back him with further funds. Ironically, Souness came into the club following KD and needed to rebuild with very little money, as KD left behind him a very ageing thin squad. Loved KD as a player. I remember when KD was first in charge that some of his buys back then were a bit spurious (David Speedie & Jimmy Carter anyone?). Lovd KD as a player, never rated him as a manager. He did well with Fagan's squad when we dominated the 1st Division!

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  60. I agree SA_Red!!!

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  61. But we can't blame Comolli for their performance!!! Are you trying to say Kenny actually wanted to sign a poor player by choice, or was it an error in judgement by him. No one would be complaining if Downing and co. were actually performing

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  62. your crazy to think he is anything more then average, unfortunately due to the circumstances the club is in these days average players seem better then they are.

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  63. an eye for goal... is that serious or a joke? and to say his game is almost identical to Gerrards when he was the same age is an almost libelous comment, Shelvey is not 30% the player Gerrard was at the same age, Gerrard ran games at times most the games Shelvey is in you could easily forget he is even on the pitch

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  64. Absolutely spot on!! I've said this on other LFC forums, the way we blindly back average British players is baffling. The sad thing is we don't even buy the best of the British!

    The real issue is our scouting team are competely useless. Trash! The sort of plyers I oped we would bid for inclded Nathan Dyer/Scott Sinclair/Vic Moses-cheaper already streets ahead of Downing!

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  65. Guys, remeber how KD decimated Newcastle's squad. Remember the team Keagan left behind & see what KD did to that team. His only psitive legacy was in the 1990s, in which some still argue that it was Fagan's legacy no KD's?!

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  66. I think we could get £8mil for him.

    He isn't a terrible player, it is mostly just that his confidence is shot. That said, he isn't the best player for our system. He'd do well at most sides in the league. It isn't often an English player of his experience, quality and renown comes on to the market, so I don't think that he is the umovable dead weight that some think he is.

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  67. He had plenty of chances last season and only played left-mid and right-mid (he had a lot of chances on the right). If you're going to criticise, you could at least have the faintest clue what you are talking about.

    If you're a Villa fan, I imagine you will be less quick to indulge in schadenfreude after you lost 5-0 today.

    Thanks for your comment, champ.

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  68. The news of the year would be "Xabi Alonso is back at LFC"

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  69. Sorry Gaz, you are quite a way off on this one. Adam never lit anything up, and ferguson was only trying to inflate his fee for us (the @&$*). Only player i have watched where i felt like jumping on to the pitch and taking over his role because im sure i could have done it better. I reckon if you had spent 8-10 mil on all of them you still would have been better off getting in some foreign talent and waiting for the youngsters to come through for his English revolution.

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  70. Shelves might be a tad slow but he has great positional awareness (way better than gerrard's IMO). Just watch him the next time he comes on in a game, the way he controls the space and can turn the midfield battle. Mark my words, he will be the dominant midfielder in the epl when he is 27-28.

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  71. The day we signed Stuart Downing was a day that I knew the LFC I'd come to love was totally on the ropes...How we could go from Torres, Masch, Xabi to this sort of standard of player in such short space of time was absolutely heartbreaking for me. Especially given that we'll never know what could have been if the money was spent properly. For me he'll go down with the Torben Piecniks and Bjorn Torre Kvarme level of signings except for 5 times the price. Never can we let this happen again as a club or be left behind for good. The positive being BR in complete agreement with us and is going his best to get rid of the player as soon as possible.

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