2 Jan 2013

Transfer fail: LFC flop to suffer the same embarrassing fate as Robbie Keane...?

In December, on-loan midfielder Nuri Sahin expressed his dissatisfaction with being played out of position at Liverpool. His comments were not overtly critical but the fact he felt compelled to say something was arguably a slight cause for concern. It's fair to say that Sahin's transfer has not worked out too well so far, and it seems that the Turk could be about to suffer the same fate as Robbie Keane did under Rafa Benitez.

Rafa Benitez dumped Keane after only six months at Anfield, and various reports today claim that Brendan Rodgers is poised to dump Sahin after only five months at the club. The Mirror reports:

"Liverpool are looking into ways of cancelling [Sahin's] move, saving around £3m. [The club] signed up for paying a year of Sahin’s salary and also a rental fee to Real on top.

"Sahin may be sacrificed to bring in extra funds to pay the Blackpool who are haggling over the current offer for their star attacker [Thomas Ince]".


Sahin is a cultured player, but it wouldn't be a huge loss if Liverpool got rid of him. Perhaps a return to Dortmund is the best thing for him at this stage of his career? Borussia Dortmund’s chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke certainly seems open to the idea, as he told Bild recently:

“Which player who has left us is happier now - Kagawa? Sahin? Barrios? No one. If Nuri he comes to me and says he doesn't want anything else than playing in Dortmund, we will think about this issue. But it has to be feasible".

By his own admission, Sahin prefers to play in a deeper role, and that hasn't happened at LFC. The Turk admitted as much in an interview with the official Liverpool FC website last month:

"I’ve played my whole career deeper – that’s my position, but I have played as a number ten here. If I could choose a position it would be holding, as I feel more comfortable playing deeper and can give my all.”

Liverpool legend John Aldridge is not impressed with Sahin's performances so far. In an interview with the Liverpool Echo, Aldo expressed his disappointment with Sahin's performances, which he described as 'well off the pace' and argued that Suso is a better option for the team. He said:

"Sahin, for whatever reason, just hasn’t looked the player we were told he was when he signed. Suso is more direct and more positive than Sahin, and looks far more willing to take a few risks in attack, taking players on and looking for incisive passes in the final third"

Whatever happens, I think it's doubtful that Sahin will still be at Liverpool next season. He's only been at the club for 4 months, and despite Lucas being injured for most of that time, he hasn't managed to command a regular first team place. Additionally, with Lucas, Gerrard and Allen practically guaranteed to start most matches for the Reds, it's difficult to see where Sahin fits in.

If Sahin leaves, it will underline the arguable failure of Brendan Rodgers' transfer policy since he arrived in the summer. None of the manager's signings have worked out so far:

* Borini: Was entering flop territory prior to his injury. Only one goal (Europa League) since signing.

* Sahin: Scored three goals then dumped on the sidelines ever since. Struggling to get into the team.

* Assaidi: A total farce. Repeatedly ignored by Rodgers; barely makes the squad for league games. Allegedly unfit, but recently selected for Morocco. Total waste of money by Rodgers (I don't blame Assaidi here; he doesn't pick the team)

* Allen: A very good player, but has his arrival made any difference? Points-wise, the team is worse off than the same point last season, and defensively, things have become worse.

* Yesil: Too early to judge, but the fact that Rodgers never plays him, despite playing Sterling/Suso/Wisdom - all of whom are the same age, or younger - is telling.

Rodgers needs to get it right in this transfer window, but judging by the club's targets, I don't feel optimistic.

Jaimie Kanwar


206 comments:

  1. Sahin is a defensive midfielder so not sure why he is played in different roles.  Rodgers issue is that he doesnt trust a midfield where Gerrard is further forward.

    Sahin and Lucas over time could become a great defensive midfield partnership.  But then where do Allen and Shelvey fit in if you have Gerrard as the third midfielder?

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  2. Sahin has a lack of pace for the premiership; its too early to judge Borini (I watched him for Swansea for half a season and he was a good finisher), Allen is a very good midfielder and will improve with age. At least Sturridge is gifted with pace, and is selfish which is a good combination to be a top class striker.

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  3. I wouldn't have bothered signing Allen, if Sahin was going to come. Wasn't that overjoyed in the first place, with the signing of Allen. I would kept Spearing as cover for injured Lucas (or maybe not, if Stevie or Hendo could have filled that role). Played Sahin in the deep central role alongside Lucas (when fit), with the rest of money going on someone like Dembele (in the attacking midfield role behind Suarez or coming off the wing).
    Sahin is a good player but needs to be attacking from deeper positions. More of a builder/orchestrator, rather than one to force the issue in the last third like Aldo is pointing out with the Suso & Sahin comparison (two very different style of players). At Dortmund, he was playing in the two central midfield roles in front of the defence, alongside Bender, and building the attacks from there and pushing forward to support the attacking mids. 

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  4. jaimie i think we can forgive rodgers the odd blip in the transfer market ,after the news that we have just signed one of the most sort after players in world football,yes we have managed to secure the services of sturridge,after fierce competition from both the manchester clubs and spanish giants barca ,he decided to retire here

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  5. Shelvey fits just fine onto the bench. 

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  6. FANTASTIC! Sturridge has been signed! i believe he will come good for LFC (ive been wrong before).

    the kid has tremendous potential! i hope to see him against sunderland tonight!

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  7. liverpool4life5654:24 pm, January 02, 2013

    Sahin hasn't got the build for the prem.... Shame though, he a good player, but sturridge has signed.... I'm excited at the signing :) he proved he can score goals.... he has took the 15 shirt we still have number 9 free.... So hopefully we get In another striker :)

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  8. Completely agree with you Pukki. Also I`m glad we have learnt from the past, of leaving everything so late. Nice to get a bit of buisness done quickly for once

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  9. Sahin will go, Allen will get better, nobody knows what is it with Assaidi, think Yesil will unfortunatelly disappear, and Borini might be good for cups and as a sub.
      Daniel S. will score ten goals for us this season- EPL.
    So far, BR could've done much better.

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  10. IF Sahin goes, then I don`t think it is that bad a deal, he was on loan, and for one reason or the other BR doesn`t rat him for his style to play him, therefore I`m glad he was just a loan and not a signing. Would be interesting to see though how this affects the money in the loan. Do we still pay the same amount etc

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  11. BENITEZ, DID NOT SIGN ROBBIE KEANE !!!   HE DID NOT WANT HIM !!!
    PARRY SIGNED HIM !

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  12. Rodgers could have at least given Sahin a chance in his usual role, Sahin is a quality player when used correctly, its like saying to lucas "play more forward" he wouldn't make much happen!Sahin had a great spell then got dumped, as I have said previously Rodgers has an ego which a lot of managers do, but them managers still treat players with respect and give them a chance to prove their worth in the position they play, Rodgers isn't like that he is ignorant to such things.
     
    Why bring him here to use him the way he has? did he not know what position he actually plays? did he not do no research into Sahin? Rodgers has wasted him to accommodate Allen (who I think is far from a very good player). Out of Sahin and Allen I would have Sahin in my starting 11 everytime.

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  13. Total BS.
    Rafa admitted in 'an audience with Rafa' that he wanted Keane and Barry.

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  14. He fits even better into another team

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  15. He fits even better into another team

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  16. I said it right from the beginning that I was very unhappy with the summer transfer incomings, and the arrivals of Dempsey/Sigurdsson/Ramirez wouldn't have made much difference either other than raising expectations beyond what the team was capable of achieving.

    I was willing to write that transfer activity off and hold off on judging Rodgers until the next window however, and so he now has to do A LOT better in this window.

    The signing of Sturridge is a very good start for me. Powerful, quality ballwinners (Sissoko/Diame etc) are available on the cheap right now, and the scouts need to immediately pick out another quick centre-forward in order for the squad to make a massive jump forwards.

    Screw waiting for the summer or making excuses about availability - there are plenty of players available out there to massively improve the short and long term future of LFC.

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  17. Sahin reminds me a lot of Aquilani.
    Possesses all the silky skills but lacks that combative edge to make it at the top.

    You cant 'cruise' here like you can in some of the lesser leagues just relying on skill alone.
    You need to be up for a 'fight' in every game, and players who aren't
    up to it mentally, shirk from the challenge and are quickly exposed.

    Sadly, I think Sahin falls into this category.
    I can see why Mourinho wanted him loaned out to an English club in the hope of improving this aspect of his play.

    We haven't really played him enough to make a definitive judgment, but
    if I had to make a call, considering the price Madrid want, I would send him
    back.

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  18. My guess is that Rodgers, like many supporters, thought that Henderson would be utterly useless. That's probably why he's brought in Sahin. Henderson is improving now and I'd rather see him getting match time and experience than rising Sahin's value for Real Madrid.

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  19. we should have signed adam johnson and momo diame regardless of kenny going just a pity a better manager never got the job like rafa or martin o'neil or steve clarke not a head the ball with a cv worse than steve bruce

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  20. It's always the others.

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  21. Borini was also selected for the Euros with the nation that finished runners-up. He can't be all bad, can he.

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  22.  As nice at it is to have local lads in the team, I'd rather not see Spearing in a Liverpool shirt again. He did reasonably well when he was thrown in for a few minutes (his debut against Real was quite memorable), but he lacks too much to be relied upon.

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  23. I wish you could have talked van Persie into joining us instead of Man Utd. Or all the other top end players who want to play in the Champions League and demand wages that a club that's not in the CL couldn't afford.

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  24. He's not eligible to play tonight.

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  25. Don't totally agree with the comments here about, Borini, Assaidi, Allen, Yesil.

    All our young players in their first season at a new club.

    Borini - For me just trying too hard and making mistakes, just needs to relax and the rest wil come.

    Assaidi - I like what I have seen from him, skillful, direct and confident. He just needs to pack a bit on (size). He's still young, new club, country, culture, etc, etc.

    Allen - It's not a one man team. He alone is not going to make a difference. He has great determination and ability.

    Yesil - I don't want to sound like I'm repeating myself but he's a young player. Again... new club, country, culture, etc, etc.

    I believe like many of the established players some are lacking confidence. Whether that is partly due to the inconsistency coupled with the transition in tactics who knows? Get a consistent run of positive results and that will change.

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  26. I think your criticism of Rodgers signings is a little harsh. Assaidi has struggled with injuries but looked a very capable player when he has played. He has looked far more positive than Downing and Suso when playing in the front 3. Borini will be ok, I think he has the makings of a decent player. Allen is a very very good player. His game against City was outstanding. He, just like Alonso would, needs good players out wide or in front of him to be able to pass to. I think Sahin is a great player - how could you argue he isn't (looking at his record in Germany). It is just that he hasn't played the same position as he did for Dortmund. 6 months ain't enough for some players to settle either. I remember watching Pires at Anfield after he signed for Arsenal - he was awful, but went on to be arguably their best player.

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  27. Just to point out Jobsy Lucas was an attacking midfielder before he came to Liverpool, I believe this is why it took him so long to settle as he was learning the position of defensive mid.

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  28. Funny thing is... Lucas was an attacking mid when we signed him from Gremio, he even won some award for best player in one of the Brasil cup competitions.

    Sahin just can't have been good enough yet or I'm sure he'd have played more. Maybe he just isn't versitile enough for BR (insert tongue in cheek). It would be good to see him rotated with Allen cause I agree with you that Allen hasn't made a big difference yet. Maybe Allen needs direct competition to step his game up.

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  29. yeah. im off to youtube to watch sturridge score some goals. gonna play Pink Floyd - High hopes in backround (instead of the shi**y music vid makers put to their stuff)

    i really got high hopes for the kid.

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  30. I don't rate Spearing but Sahin can't play the holding role, so its play Hendo/Gerrard there (which I was open to as well) or keep Spearing, in the scenario in my above post. Nothing to do with me rating me or having local lads. More a case of options for the holding role, whilst Lucas was injured, the bit on Spearing. So kinda maybe 'needs must'. We could do with a player whose main position is the defensive mid role to cover for Lucas but I guess other positions are taking priority in terms of transfers and rightly so.

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  31. So couple of months adjusting, couple of good games and we send him back to Madrid-that was optimistic and it turned out even worse- bad move...

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  32. sahin has already astablished himself as a world class talent, he dosnt get many games at madrid but who would with the options they have? he definatley hasnt flopped here 3 goals and 2 assists in 12 games from midfield. i hope some how we sign him long term he is class and apart from gerrard he is are best mid.  

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  33. Glad someone else sees that Sahin can't play the holding (defensive) role. Unlike what some folks on here want to make me believe, Sahin was played further down the pitch earlier in the season, and he didn't convince one bit to be honest.

    Have seen to little of Conor Coady, but wouldn't he be an able understudy for Lucas? He's better than Spearing, isn't he.

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  34. A creative attacking midfielder is a requirement for us; we have a few midfielders that than occupy the defensive midfield position. Quality in this area is expensive; Joe Cole has been poor, Shelvey is too raw and is very young, and Stevie G has lost a yard of pace. I would rather lose Sahin and spend the money on a player in this area of the field. Particularly as we have two quality strikers now !.

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  35. Imagine his hunger vs utd- if we feed him well and make him understand it is not all about him- he will be great.

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  36. I wonder how many people would swap 12m Sturridge + wages for £7m Ba  with an extra £5m to pay his wages?

    Granted Sturridge is younger, and has a bad knee potentially, but goal for goal, who would be better?

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  37. and a club thats not in the champions league will never afford(its going to be fsgs  excuse)will the signing of sturridge help us catch up with arsenal ,spurs dare i say it everton never mind the upstarts from down the road,one ? truefully can you ever see rodgers getting champions league because i cannot,we are falling urther behind in every transfer window,we buy sturridge and apart from everton all the other clubs will sign better players,chelsea get rid of a reject to us and will buy a better player

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  38. By the way, how can you compare a season long loanee to a £15m+ purchase? Strange.

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  39. Coady is a decent shout. Seems a good talent from the little I have seen. Raw but as cover option, especially considering the state of affairs at the club, can't be too picky.

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  40. "Ba has scored 36 PL goals since arriving in 2011. Only RVP (64) and Rooney (44) have more in that era." - infostrada sports
    Not bad going, not bad going at all, for a striker that doesn't play for the usual big guns. 

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  41. Diame, definitely, Johnson, no way. Johnson is just too flaky, plays well 1 game in 3-4.

    Diame is a beast, exactly what we need v Stoke, West Ham  etc and would frighten a few ball playing mids out there. Would rather have him than Ince.

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  42. Conor Coady is going to be a great player

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  43. Sahin will never get the chance he deserves cus heaven forbid he will have to replace " Allen /xavi " and we all know who BrenDOM loves most .............. Lucas / Gerrard / Sahin over time would have been an awosome mid field with Hendo and shelvey comming of the bench around the 60/ 70th minute ........

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  44. hahahahahahahahahahahha very good 1 mate ....im sure the signing will stop there ....ooops no we STILL have 2 pay 7 Mill for INCE and then it will be done ....dunno why we employed a new scouting team from Man City ...those guys must be sitting on a beach somewhere lol

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  45. Sahin cannot tackle like a Defensive midfielder, something which we REALLY REALLY need!

    You are right, Sahin was being played as an attacking midfielder but he only had 1 decent game, where he scored!

    The move has not worked out for him and the financial aspects for liverpool with respects to his deal are certainly appalling to say the least!

    Coady is really highly rated by the Liverpool coaching staff and youth set up!

    Spearing from my sources has the "die hard liverpool spirit", but is technically not the most gifted of players! I recall a game last season where Gerard did not trust Spearing and had to "baby sit him", playing very close to him!

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  46. fingers crossed, hopefully he will get the goals elevating our disgraceful position in the league!

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  47. andy carroll scored in the EUROS SO HE MUST BE BETTER.....

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  48.  spearing is just as good as sahin from what ive seen

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  49. yes but Jobsy U not BrenDOM and i hope you dont have a painting off yourself in your living room lol ...........
    Allens got game for life as long as BrenDOM is here ... he did NOTHING for our 3 nil win at QPR nothing ...just ran around and stroked the ball for a 2 yard pass  lol

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  50. Yes he did!! Rafa wanted to play a 4-3-3, with Robbie Keane as Left Forward and Gareth Barry as Left Midfielder.

    The plan went AWOL after Barry went to Man City!

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  51. well ones thing for sure they cannot be anywhere near a football field lol

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  52.  at least hes direct and i hope he is greedy...we have to many players who wont take the resposability of shooting and want to walk it into an empty net

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  53.  Sahin is just average...done nothing to suggest hes better than coady let alone lucas

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  54.  the difference though is you could ask lucas to play center forward and he would...he would also give it his best shot without blubbing in the papers

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  55.  agreed the common census aroung among a lot of forums and respected pundits is hendo should be the first name on the sheet in midfield

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  56. SO FAR B.Rod's signings have been technical and INEFFCTIVE!!

    Hopefully, Sturridge will change the trend!!

    PS: Allen for all his stats is not an influential player, passing sideways/backwards is not worth £15M!!

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  57. not really Paul....the impact of a signing is his ability to improve the team....have any of rogers signings made us better the answer is no

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  58.  Totally agree. Strange thing about Sahin is that he's the only player, brought in during the summer transfer window, that seemed to generate any excitement.

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  59. yes he can. National teams have always been known to select players sometimes based on a players popularity and not his talent. 

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  60. you right even xavi would not get a game over allen

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  61. yes  world class and he got no where near the final

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  62. Erm, we weren't talking about the England team.

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  63. spot on ,sorry i did not reply to your post cannot find it

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  64. Well, no. I've seen Sahin before and he's light-years ahead of Spearing.

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  65. Lucas was heavily critised when he was first signed; Allen is still young - 3 years younger than Lucas. He's got lots of potential, he's quick, good engine, and a good pass, and hungry to learn. He needs to become stronger which will develop with age. I agree £ 15 million was far too much but lets wait an see how he develops.  

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  66. He's been kind of hyped on the official site for years. Let's hope he goes on and achieves great things with us.

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  67. cannot happen hes kds signing allen is the 1st name on the team sheet

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  68. Other teams do it too, even Spain and there first choice keeper. I`m not saying Reina would dispel Casillas but valdes would have a good shout, yet Casillas is there golden boy keeper.

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  69. I truly believe that Sturridge will make you eat your words. If you are out of the CL for a few years, you have to take a different approach. Other clubs had to do it too. We all love our club and think it's the best club in the world, but so do other club's supporters. There is no entitlement that all the top players sign for us simply because our history is second to none (in the UK at least). I believe that Rodgers can take us back into the top four, not this season, and probably not next, but thereafter everything is possible. He can, I don't say he will. There are too many things that can't be determined.

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  70. allen ,borinni and sturridge cost a combined fee of 39 million,rodgers cannot be far behind kenny now on net spend it scary that we have a lunatic running the asylum

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  71. Maybe Sturridge alone, wont get us into the Top four, but if we can finish say 6th or 5th this year, it will show we are coming back a bit, and may give a few players who aint CL yet, but still good the want to come to us, as we would be close. 

    I think right now it is all a case of stepping stones. 8th to 4th in one year is prob unlikely, and buying CL players is too. Liverpool though does still hold a lot of weight to its name, and so if we are looking like the project is working, young gifted players will want to be apart of it. 

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  72. Tell me again why he Sturridge couldn't make it at Chelsea when Fernando Torres wasn't scoring? I am glad that fans are excited about Sturridge at this point I think people would be excited about anyone being signed as a striker to relieve Luis Saurez. Sadly even Bugs Bunny (if he could score on a regular basis) would have been a welcome addition. Like i have always said Sturridge is a good player with pace but he is far from world class. That would be Luis Suarez or someone of equal caliber. He certainly is not feared by defenses every where nor does he demand the same respect from them.

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  73. True. How far have we come that a player on loan tells us where we have to play him. He can do one if you ask me. There is no "I" in "team", not even in German (don't know about Turkish, though).

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  74. Agreed. I say everyone needs to show him some love too, the Chelsea fans kept hating on him. Even though some don`t want him here, we got him, so lets support him, and show him what being at Liverpool is all about.

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  75. That's all true, but he's been engineering a move from Newcastle to a bigger club virtually since he arrived there. No loyalty at all and therefore a disruptive influence we can do well without.

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  76. hes not getting 3 years to sort it out

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  77. Yesil is still very young, with these young players, I think it would be great if we could forget about them for a few years, until they have grown a bit more.

    Borini although he didn`t look great in first few games, hasn`t had much of a chance yet, so you never know, he might still cut it.

    Basically I agree with you Orme lol

    I have a really good feeling about Sturridge, for ages we have been missing a true goal scorer, he is one. Suarez is awesome, but to me he is more of a creater/scorer. I would still like to get another even better striker in two though, just to add to our depth, and give even more firepower. 

    When I look at our team, even with our weakish mid, I still think a very good top three, would have us flying. We create chances, we keep the ball, we just need that edge.

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  78. Maybe because nowadays fans demand "big name" signings. Our scouting department has been lacking in recent years, but I remember very well the times when we brought in little heard of players who became mainstays for us (Ian Rush from Chester, Ronnie Whelan from Home Farm, Steve Nicol from Ayr Utd, Alan Hansen from Partick Thistle, may I go on?). These wouldn't stand much of a chance with today's fans.

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  79. people often forget that, he was very much a box to box player just like Gerrard. 

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  80. Exactly, BR will play the best players, if Sahin aint playing, it has to be cause he isn`t up to it. I can`t see any reason BR would not play Sahin if Sahin was gunna be the man to help us win, BR must know his job safety results purely from how his team does, over anything else. BR wouldn`t get sacked for not playing Allen. I get that on some games we wont agree with BR`s team choice, but he gets to see when they need a rest, we don`t. As a general though if a player hardly ever plays, that must be because of either a few things

    A: They aint better than the players your playing
    B: There is some clause in there contract about rising prices after a certain number of games

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  81. 8th to 6th no cup finals yes thing are really looking up, i mean thats giant strides ,next season we could consoladate 6th and who knows in a few years time rodgers mite have assembled a squad thats challenging for 6th every year the future looks fantastic,who knows in 5 years time we may even get to a cup final as well

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  82. Henderson is like you said getting a lot better. I think he does have talent. Just needs game time, right position and a bit of luck

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  83. So i suggest it is a step by step thing, and you take that to mean, only to 6th???? 6th is better than 8th, and 5th better than 6th, and then 4th. If getting fourth in one go was so simple, im sure every other team would have done it too.

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  84. When Lucas came to Liverpool, he was an attacking midfielder who had come from another league - traditionally Brazilians haven't done that well in the EPL. It obviously took him some time to get used to a new, different league and his new role as a defensive midfielder. Nevertheless, he had pedigree, he was the Brazilian under-20 captain and had won the Bola de Ouro in 2006 (the equivalent of the footballer of the year award). No wonder Benitez signed him.

    Allen comes with no such recommendation. I struggle to work out his best asset other than having a high pass-completion rate. He never seems to contribute significantly to our defence or attack. Whilst  height isn't everything, he often seems to get over-run in midfield. His play hasn't even seemingly been typified by good days and bad days, ever since his bright start at Liverpool, the quality of his performances have shown a downward trend. Furthermore, the money spent on him could have been better used elsewhere.

    You're right, he may yet develop into a great footballer, but I'm not sure he possesses the raw ingredients to do so. He definitely doesn't look like a player who could dominate or decide a match, even infrequently.

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  85. Yes "forgetting" about them, maybe loaning...

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  86. I will be keen to see which way he sets them up Gilstrap, Sturridge in middle, or Suarez or a constant interchange??? Be good to see, might take a few games to get right.

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  87. There is no "I" in team, but there is a "U" in cun... better not lol

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  88. jk wots the sp on sturridge is he cup tied in the EL ? did he play in CL for chealski ?

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  89. also people want spanish, german, french names. Reina, Alonso etc, not the most known players before we got them, but people give them more time and go easier on them. Unknown names are still fine, as long as they sound good. Take Allen, the man gets beat down every game by the fans, yet say BR was to sign someone called Luiz Baptiste (made up) I`m sure half our fans would be loving it, even though he don`t exist.

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  90. Allen needs to pull his socks up (I think Hendo deserves his place in the side based on form) but I have faith in him long term.

    Borini is someone who I liked the look of but I think Rodgers screwed him over by playing him wide. He'll almost certainly do the same to Sturridge (play him there, not screw him- Daniel is admittedly more suited to the role).

    I don't know the deal with Assaidi- he has looked decent when he has featured.

    Too early to jude Yesil. You have to remember his counterparts (the ones you mentioned, namely Sterling, Suso and Wisdom) have been in the country and at the club for a few years. Also centre forwards and the deepest midfield player (the pivot) probably have to adjust the most to play in Rodgers system (not that we have adapted that much yet).

    Sahin has been an immensely dissapointing flop. He was completely anonymous in several games. In his defence, the Prem isn't the best league to play in when you are recovering from a big injury. Also he has been played further forward than he is comfortable (but I question how he expects to play defensive mid when his man marking is so poor...). Big disappointment and a big waste of money depending on which source you believe.

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  91. I wonder whether it is time LFC went to a head coach/director of football scenario. [please dont say DC/KK - that was KK calling the shots and DC doing the negotiating]. We are starting to make a new sort of history,  a history of bad buying negotiating and unwarranted wages. a strong DoF with a good network of scouts could change our feeble transfer business. Just a thought.

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  92. i think price tag has something to do with it. At 15m you expect maybe a little more than what we got. I hope JA does well as with any player that join LFC. But maybe our real frustration as fans is more about how much we [LFC] are paying for such players.

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  93. but we are not every other team

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  94. Big name signings aren't at all necessary. We could do just as well with players that have potential and a manager with a great track record of developing them. 

    Right now at Liverpool, it is not evident that we have either. We can't afford to buy proven quality, and only time well tell as to whether Rodgers is the kind of manager that can transform potential into quality, in the mould of someone like Wenger.

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  95. I feel for NS. he probably was the closest player we signed who could have filled Xabi Alonso boots. he hasnt played the majority of last season. At BD his distribution at times was mouthwatering from left to right. Maybe Tiki Taka was not for him? however i would say why did we agree to pay so much money for him? [loan fee wages etc] again the bureaucracy at lfc is mind blowing.

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  96. for tonights game - Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Wisdom, Skrtel, Agger, Lucas, Henderson, Gerrard, Sterling, Downing, Suarez

    come on u reds.

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  97. any way to tonights game 2/1 lfc lfc to win at h/time f/time suarez 1st goalscorer

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  98. Sturridge was the cheapest bargain in the bargain basement. We won't bring top quality transfers till either (1) FSG get's over the fact that Daglish squandered 60million on average players the last season and once again release real funds or (2) our guys find a way to get it done on the field and actually beat up on all the smaller teams as opposed to losing to the likes of Villa and Swansea. By finishing in the top of the table would certainly attract bigger names. Big named players are attracted to success.

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  99. a win....any win will do me fine.....happy new year!!!

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  100. Jamie! where is your prematch blog!?

    too busy writing one about sturridge?! when is that out also?


    Anyhow. WHY DO I KEEP SEEING DOWNING IN STARTING LINEUP!?
    i hope he is gone when transfer window shuts. good riddance. 

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  101.  i got my money going 3-1 . propably few euros i will never see again

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  102. As a football supporter one has to have some believe as well. I think that what our current manager tries to implement is very good. There are plenty of positive signs, but the road is bumpy. Changing manager again now or after this season won't lead us anywhere.

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  103. Good reply. Consistancy and increased strength I hope he develops over time. Its a pity BR spent so much. Its difficult for young players to overcome a high price tag. I have  the benefit of seeing him from the age of 15 at Swansea where he paid most of his football further forward. I am sure he will develop further. He might be a little intimidated playing alongside the likes of Gerrard, Suarez and Lucas.

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  104. True. Back when Lucas was booed by our own fans I wrote in one forum that if I had a son who was a promising young footballer, I wouldn't want him to play for a team with fans like that. It really makes me sad. Where have the knowledgable, patient Liverpool supporters of old gone?

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  105. No, you better not :-)

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  106. At some point last season I started fighting his corner arguing that he is still very young, played out of position, shows a lot of promise but obviously lacks confidence and that it isn't his fault that we paid 16m for him. Guess what, I got slated by fellow so-called supporters. It makes me sick.

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  107. Not if you get your wish. And the we'll have another manager you're not happy with, who may try to implement something else, chop and change the playing personell. We are going nowhere with your approach.

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  108. Like tonight, eh, Jason.

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  109. lfc must sign new goal injectors like higuain liorente as well as play makers like snieder erikson and martinez of feynourd

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  110. It would probably help if our own supporters would start supporting our players instead of slating them at every given opportunity. I won't let them walk alone.

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  111. Don't get me wrong, whilst not in the least bit happy about BR's appointment and many of the things that have happened since, I agree that changing managers a la Chelsea is not the way forward. To do that and be successful, you need deep pockets.

    Rodgers and FSG can get fans on side quickly, by making the right moves in the transfer market. This does not necessarily mean spending lots of money. We just need a transfer to 'work out' irrespective of the money paid. If other teams can manage to do this whether they spend big (eg Van Persie) or not (eg Michu), so can we. 

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  112. Question is, how does Liverpool overcome this 'intimidation' factor - it is patently evident in a number of our players. Whilst Downing is not the best left-sided player around, he obviously suffered from this 'intimidation' factor, as did Carroli.

    Most of Kenny's buys weren't of the requisite quality for a club like Liverpool,  especially not for the prices paid. However, they  were bought on the basis of their performances for their current clubs. As soon as they arrived at Anfield, they couldn't perform. Was/is it a lack of quality, or a lack of mentality?

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  113. Neither was i since i was responding to your comment about Borini who you say is not that bad. Oh yeah he is, at least here in Liverpool.  For me jury is out on Sturridge as he failed to make it at a mega club like Chelsea. They are playing Champions league foot-ball clearly what i call a step up from us right now. Higher up the table too they are. Most Liverpool fans would welcome this reject right now since he is better than many in our squad.

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  114. Very nice goal, both in terms of composure, movement and pass. Sterling and Suarez, once again.

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  115. Goal and assist for Suarez.

    Got a 2 goal cushion already in reasonably comfortable manner (bar the MccLean chance). Just like it should be at Fortress Anfield.

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  116. BR will play the best players? is that actually a serious statement?

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  117. Yeah I know he was, though a limited one at that... the point I am making is he now plays deeper and is used to that role so if he was asked to play in a position he doesn't know he would not be as effective as his usual position and his performances would suffer

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  118. Looks like cole is on his way out today as well. We will make up any short fall in wages though!!

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  119. The player is 21 for goodness sake. He has played 700 or so minutes for us and you are saying he is not good enough. I rest my case.

    I too think that most Liverpool fans welcome the signing of Sturridge. Unfortunately some very vociferous folks seem not to agree, especially on here. Marquee signing? Are you American? Hope he's not a large tent.

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  120. What are you on about?? He never told us where we have to play him... He just expressed his wish to play in his usual position! He never stormed in and said "play me here or else". And he has every right to ask if its possible to give him a run out in his favoured role, he is trying to build a career and is been hampered by Brendon (I would marry myself if I could) Rodgers insistence that he knows best, and he doesn't!
    And to say there is no "I" in team and stuff is quiet pathetic as he does his best when chosen, he is better then Allen that's a fact and Shelvey, He is a quality player and has the right to ask if its ok for a run out in his favoured position, others do it (Walcott)..

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  121. Yes, we need most of our transfers to work out, regardless of the transfer fee. Simply because in the past few years too many transfers have not and hence have halted our progress.

    For years many Liverpool supporters have cried out for our youngsters to be given a chance. Now we have a manager who's not scared to throw them in at the thick end, but still some are very vocal about him being the worst manager ever. Signings that don't hit the ground running get slated straight away. No, chances are slim to get those fans on side quickly. Things sometimes need a bit of time to develop. Unfortunately some of our fans remind me of the wife in "The fisherman and his wife". They (some fans) want everything right now. It won't happen, that's for sure, regardless of who manage us. I for one see enough positive signs.

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  122. Yeah and Sahin does his best, so what's your point?

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  123. Bit like Sahin eh..

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  124. what a pass.....what a goal

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  125. What. A. Pass. Wow. So much for tiki taka

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  126. That's cos Sahin is quality

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  127. an egotistical lunatic

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  128. easy point lucas plays where he is told.....sahin moans he is out of postion in the papers...team players just up there game so they have to be picked....

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  129.  im not kidding spearing is average with heart ...sahin his average with no heart plus hes on a lot more

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  130. i was just applying your logic for borini to carroll as regards the euros

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  131. wheres the fun in that

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  132. I would moan too if I was been played out of position to accommodate a lesser player

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  133. This is honestly the best game I've seen us play for a very very long time. We getting there guys I can tell you

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  134. I am on about Sahin making public his discontent with being played slightly out of position. While I can understand that he wants to get picked, he should convince the manager in training and keep things like this in house. We have other players, too, who want to build a career and I would rather see the career of a player on loan hampered than one of our own players. And would you please be as kind as to name me a few managers who don't have big egos. Surely not Rafa "I would marry myself if I could (IwmmiIc)" Benitez, or Harry "IwmmiIc" Redknapp, Jose "IwmmiIc" Mourinho and so on. It is extremely pathetic to single out one manager simply because you don't like him.

    Sure, a player can ask the manager to play in this or that position, but that is something else than going public. And the manager has every right to ask the player to simply do what is asked of him. I am not a Rafa fan at all, but I surely backed him when Babel told the world that he was played our of position. A professional footballer should do the best he can for the (what you call pathetic) team.

    Sahin was played further back in his early appearances for us and, despite his undoubted talent and past achievements, he didn't exactly convince. He looked better when Brendan Rodgers played him further up the pitch.

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  135. Joe Allen has been getting forward aplenty since coming on. Refreshing.

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  136. Where did I call the team pathetic?

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  137. when i say forget, i just mean not so much hype, still train them etc, just not build them up before there ready

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  138. The difference is, we owned Henderson, Sahin is only here to get fit and improve before going back to Real. Now if we had the option to buy in the deal then yes, but as we dont, no!

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  139. Brilliant performance against the last team to beat the reigning champions. 3-0 with 2 goals disallowed, Sturridge will be laughing his head off at that combined with the fact that Chelsea lost 1-0 to QPR. It's a funny old game.

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  140. TBH I think Allen reminds me of the line in "The social network" when they are talking about adverts on there site, and he replies "We don`t know what we have yet"

    Allen as we have just seen, can play well when pushed up further. Due to Lucas being out, Allen has had to do that DM role, but that isn`t really his thing, and I think he did ok at it. Now Lucas is back, we should see more of what Allen can do.

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  141. What a wonderfull overall performance. Even Downing played well.

    Suarez showed why he is one of the best strikers in Prem. he is in 30 goal vein at the moment, and i hope he finishes 30+. I was again tonight in awe of the first touch the uruguayn has. If he cannot kill the ball to his feet or play it forward, he takes one touch and sends it to empty space and follows with movement and just like that he has created enough room for himself to manouver. 2 goals and wonderpass. 9 and 1/2 rating from me.

    Henderson again played very well. he has performed whole season. he will be very good player for liverpool and i think BR is starting to notice that.

    Allen, and Suso (i love suso btw, playes like me only 100 times better) were very good coming in.

    within first 30 minutes we werent as solid in defence as we shouldve been, few strange episodes there... well we kept clean sheet.

    Wisdom was good!

    Gerrard, 50m killerpass. that is what i expect of him, today he delivered with fantastic overall performance.

    IM SO HAPPY.

    even Jason has to agree. BR tikitaka pushed sunderland off the field. 

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  142. That was the best game ive seen us play in so so long. It was the perfect blend of the fast on the floor passing game, with the odd longer ball. We were super quick, they couldn`t get the ball, and we just looked good. They were pressing us a bit too, and we delt with it well.

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  143. he looked good. I`ve said it lots before, that Allen has been doing Lucas`s role, now he is back, he can push more forward.

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  144. I now see a point in bringing someone like Sturridge. He has better finishing then Sterling or Downing and can make better runs, Suarez can create plenty of chances for him to score. I see goals with Sturridge. Hopefully am right. I also hope BR keeps Henderson in the team and Allen as a backup for Lucas/Henderson. Ourt team looks much more solid with Hendo. Recently, I have started to like Downing and Henderson. Strange. Hope it stays that way. 

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  145. I`ve been impressed with Downing too lately, hes started to look good again, like before he came to us, which is great news. Also chuffed for Sterling scoring.

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  146. But we brought him to strengthen the team, so why not use his strengths to do that? otherwise its been a complete waste of money and time

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  147. I also thing I was wrong about FSG, they got the money. They are ready to invest if the player fits the profile of their transfer policy. The transfer policy itself is debatable but at least they have a plan. I hope it proves successful and I hope we at least draw at Old trafford, need some consistency. I also think we score more when we play with freedom rather than tika tika, hope BR does something about it. 

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  148. Sahin is so poor that Real Madrid signed him.

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  149. Carroll might well be a pretty decent player, in a team that plays to his strengths (route one), but not in a team that likes to play on the floor.

    And England are hopeless in international tournaments. Could be down to the players.

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  150. Allen showed tonight the way he played for Swansea but it is because Rodgers allowed him freedom on the ball. Not only can he keep possession like he has been all along or to find the nearest player and pass long and short. He has also got pace, movement and intelligence and a cracking strike.  

    Clearly people who are lambasting him never saw him play one match before he joined LFC.

    Only a matter of time before Allen puts a sock in the mouths of all his haters.

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  151. The fun in that would be, and I loosely cite one Bill Shankly, in working for one goal together and reap the rewards together. Unity can be fun at times, too. In football it can help your own players. They may perform better when they know they don't get booed as soon as they lose the ball, try different things, get more confidence. Then the team may perform better overall, we win more often and I for on get much more fun and joy out of winning than losing. Actually, I don't get any fun or joy out of the latter.

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  152. You called my claim that the team is about the collective and not the individual (in other words) pathetic.

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  153. It's quite silent over here when we win, I've noticed.

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  154. "But I want to talk about facts. I want to be clear, I do not want to play mind games too early, although they seem to want to start." :p
    Poor Chelsea fans...

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  155. Yip, you will only see mali341 appear when we lose. 

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  156. GET IN THERE!!!!!!!! 

    Great start to the New Year, clean sheet, could have scored more... & a fine performance at home giving the fans something to finally sing about...., nice little confidence booster for the bigger games coming up also... 

    Lots of talking points but for me the main one has to be that we are finally seeing a TEAM emerge..., one that looks hungry to score...with some slick passing and quick movement, all bodes well IF we can keep up this consistency of effort etc...

    Gerrard MOTM, inspired performance from him tonight as with Suarez also who definitely seems to be curbing his antics somewhat of late and instead showing what a great footballer he can be....credit where credit is due an all that.

    Glen at LB? Love seeing him in that position, he & Downing kept that left side fluid, interchanging...a constant threat for most of the game, Hendo? Fine performance...constantly closing players down and looking to get the ball forward, Wisdom and Sterling? Both lack a little composure at times but solid enough, very happy to see Sterling get his goal BUT very much looking forward to seeing Sturridge in that role instead tbh....Sterling needs more time to build on his game & confidence....IMO we should be bringing him on after 60 mins in games like this....

    Anyway, great to be a happy red once again, very much looking forward to our next game....

    Bring it on.  :-)

    YNWA.

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  157. thats all well and good at the match or in public ....but lets keep the web a bit less serious

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  158. and Chelsea signed schevchenco  .....as an argument thats very poor anteater im surprised

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  159. Jamie prefered it if you quoted mAt the begining of the season stated it was 7.5 mil waste when Henders and Shelvy could do that Job. Everyone thought I was mental. Predicted Borini would be a waste.....and they thought I was mad. Predicted buying Joe allen wasn`t necessary and I was ignored.........I rest my case.

    However Sturrigde even greedy is a good buy. I think Suarez is of this summer.....another previous prediction of course!!!!

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  160. 33 mil waste.....no wonder my spelling is bad lol

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  161. get off your high horse it was ok to slate kd but rodgers is fire proof

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  162. i ve never had a go at henderson .and re allen ,2 out of 3 games he has not started we have looked good,even my kids can see we are a lot quicker turning defence into attack when hes not on the pitch

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  163. sorry m8 allen played well i will give you that,but he came on for the last half hour in a game we were winning 3/0 and donamating

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  164. lol it was not tikka takka it was just how we should play moving the ball round at speed turning defence into attak in a instant a 50 yard pass is hardly tikka or takka

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  165. Never said you had a go at Henderson. It wasn't even on here, but on another forum.

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  166. Huh? What are you on about? Which high horse. Get real, Jason.

    Not to sure whether I really slate KD. And Rodgers isn't fire proof, but the way some people attack him, I, as a staunch Liverpool supporter, find it is my task to defend our own manager. If, for instance, the two of us would discuss about him, or Allen, or any thing Liverpool in a pub, you'd soon find out that I find many things that could be better. Unfortunately on the internet opinions, at least at times, appear to be rather black and white. Therefore my replies do the same.

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  167. If I remember correctly Shevchenko was one of the very top strikers in Europe at the time Chelsea bought him. He has scored over three-hundred goals in over six-hundred games in his career and won many personal accolades. How he became a flop at Chelsea I don't know.

    Check this and come back and tell me again that Shevchenko was a poor player:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andriy_Shevchenko#Individual

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  168. Get your point. Problem I see is, that some may pick up a dislike for some of our staff on here (or elsewhere on the web) and carry it straight to Anfield. But then, yesterday at Anfield Brendan Rodgers name was sung. Who do those folks think they are. Signing the managers name. What do these supporters think they are doing? Supporting our manager? What is that and where will it lead us if we started things like that. Funny enough, gilstrap?

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  169. agree i would defend rodgersv in a pub as i would be defending lfc,but with other lfc fans i would not defend imo the undefendable,allen should be used as asub the attack is miles more quicker when hes not in the team imo hendeo deserves his place at the moment,and rodgers must see this or else he will further alienate fans,rodgers as tried to shift the blame on to kds signings and now he plays them nearly every game whilst most of his own signings don,t even make the bench

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  170.  622 passes of which only 7,4% were long range. tikitaka! or something similar

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  171. sorry m8 i thought every club passed the ball or is passing something new

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  172. You've got a point with Hendo. At the moment he should start as his form is better than Allen's. He did start yesterday and Allen was a sub, so I have no doubt that Rodgers, too, saw this.

    Now be honest, Jason. The way Downing and Henderson have performed last season was underwhelming, to say the least. Kenny may have managed the same thing, but now it is Rodgers who somehow gave them the self-belief (or whatever) they needed to perform better.

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  173. Rome wasn't built in a day. Our form in the first half isn't that great, but it is better than in the second half of last season. We've been on a downward spiral for a few years and, as nice as they were, the cup finals simply papered over the cracks, imho.

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  174. There it is, our entitlement. Guess Spurs fans, too, will claim that they are not every other team. Took them a while to be in contention for top four nevertheless.

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  175. We have been domination many matches when Allen has started this season so your comment does not have any legs.

    For a change he was allowed to get forward. All season he has had to either cover for Lucas or keep possession in our half of the pitch.

    Last night he had a chance to show his haters a different side to his game and that he will be worth every penny we paid for him for many years to come.

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  176. or theyare settling  aftertime at the club last year to many new faces at once

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  177. no entitlement just stating were not other clubs and no offence to spurs but they are not as big as lfc

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  178. are these comments from actual LFC fans or has this forum been hijacked by rivals? Sahin was brought in on loan and it didn't work out. It happens.  Thats the beauty of the loan system, the club doesnt take a big hit if he's a flop under the manager's plans. 

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  179. Very well said!

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  180. From last night's game, just take Downing out and put Sturridge in his place. I feel that we could have scored closer to double figures had this happened. He'll get a run out on Sunday at Mansfield then he'll be ready for the Mancs. Remember, Suarez scored on his debut, 2 days after signing and he hadn't trained with the first team. With the way he's playing just now, Sturridge is going to think it's Christmas all over again. 

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  181. Exactly! He wanted Keane to play off Barry's through balls. 

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  182. I was just on about the term you used I hate that saying its pathetic and unoriginal, that's nothing personal to you by the way, I just hate the saying

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  183. All right then. Sorry, I am not a native speaker. All I can do is to use the sayings and phrases I know. Pick up new ways to say something every day. Hope you liked my more describing sentence more. It probably got the same meaning as "no I in team", but then I wonder whether I sound snobbish or as if I tried to come across as eloquent.

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  184. I dont understand the whining about Sahin.

    Look at it this way, he was hugely successful at Dortmund, was struggling to adjust at Real Madrid - who have a habit of destroying careers, then we got him on a trial basis. It hasn't worked, so we haven't forked out 20million (a la Downing) and got to see first hand the player he is.

    Football really is funny in that a player can flop at one club, then prosper at the next. 

    I for one wish Andy Carroll and Joe Cole all the best as they were always great ambassadors to the club, while Daniel Sturridge will have the hunger to silence the Chelski fans, Roman and the rest of the haters, along with enjoying the mouth watering prospect of playing with (in my opinion) one of the three best strikers in the EPL (the others being RVP and Aguero).

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  185. its just 1 of them sayings that annoys me, everyone has sayings that get on their nerves as I am sure you do, its just one of them things :)

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  186. Never meant to annoy you.

    Erm, well, off the top of my head I don't know one, but, hold on, there is one. Don't know if there is an equivalent in English, but here you go. For every pot there is a lid. Got the same meaning as the English "Every Jack has his Jill".

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  187. never heard of that mate, and you didn't annoy me at all, as I said just one of them things aint it :)

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